Renewed push in the US for federal paid family and medical leave faces political conflict over how to pay for it
There has been a renewed push by lawmakers in Washington, DC for an updated version of the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act to provide all US workers with access to paid family and medical leave. This new version of the proposed bill would include partial income for up to twelve weeks of leave time, covering leave for instances of health conditions and the birth or adoption of a child. The bill is aimed to be expansive and cover any US worker who has earned over $2,000 in the most recent two-year period, and it would be paid for through an additional payroll tax attached to Medicare taxes. While labor research shows that federal paid family leave would have positive effects on workers and protect their wages in challenging times, there is much political conflict over how to pay for such a program.
See "Renewed push in the US for federal paid family and medical leave faces political conflict over how to pay for it", Lorie Konish, CNBC, May 18, 2023