President Biden on Tuesday renewed his promise to pass paid family leave, make childcare more affordable, and invest in early education at a care rally in Washington D.C.
In front of a 200-strong audience of caregivers and activists, he recalled how his parents became the caregivers for his two sons in the wake of the deaths of his first wife Neilia and their 13-month-old daughter Naomi in a car crash. And he vowed to use a second Presidential term to enact historic care laws—including the country’s first national paid family leave policy, something Glamour has long been campaigning for.
“As your president I’m here with a simple message. I give you my word, I have your back,” he told the crowd to cheers.
“Take paid leave. We’re the only advanced economy in the world not to guarantee paid leave. We’re going to change that. In the United States of America, no one — no one should choose between caring for a parent who’s raised them, a child who depends on them, or a paycheck that they need.
“It’s past time America caught up with the rest of the world on paid leave.
“All this helps families and it grows the economy,” he continued. “And we can afford to do it. We can’t afford not to do it.”
It’s Biden’s most high profile care-focused speech since the failture of the Build Back Better Bill in 2021. At the rally, hosted by the Care Can’t Wait Action coalition, he also promised the extension of a child tax credit for working families (taking aim at Republicans who let the benefit expire), and a plan to create accessible child care for families starting at $10 a day.
“We’re going to guarantee affordable, quality childcare,” he said. “Most families — under our plan, most families will pay less than $10 a day per child, saving millions of folks as much as $7,000 a year.”
This comes just a day after he announced a new effort to help pay off student loans for millions of American borrowers. And both appearances give a glimpse into the President’s upcoming election campaign campaign.
At the event, which included a number of speakers from Paid Leave for All to Caring Across Generations, Tiffany Mrotek—one of the mothers from Glamour’s 28 Days project—told the audience: “Like millions of new moms I struggled with postpartum depression after the birth of my son Porter and desperately needed paid time to come back to myself and find my identity as a mom.”
She continued: “Even as I had some time I ended maternity leave feeling like it was nearly enough time. I am heartbroken for parents who don’t get that privilege. We want all women and new parents to get the opportunity to have that pause and be present.”
Sign the petition to Pass Paid Leave here.
