“No matter who proposes it, creating a national paid leave program that excludes the millions of workers who need paid leave to address their own serious medical conditions or those of family members would be a mistake. Three in four workers in this country who take leave do so for those reasons. The bill re-released by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and allies today would do nothing at all for them.

“In addition, the Rubio/Romney/Wagner/Crenshaw proposal would force families to borrow from the Social Security they will need tomorrow in order to pay off the parental leave they need today. Raiding Social Security to cover paid leave is a non-starter – a fatal flaw that renders any proposal unacceptable. As we said when U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) proposed to pay for paid leave in that way just a few weeks ago, it is the absolute wrong approach.

“MomsRising members have been fighting for paid leave for more than a decade, and the momentum for a comprehensive program is massive and growing. But on this issue and others, Republican lawmakers are offering inferior proposals to try to appear supportive of working women and families. The Rubio/Romney/Wagner/Crenshaw proposal is another example of that – and America’s moms will not be fooled. This bill would put low-wage workers, women and those in communities of color in especially dire straits because they are least likely to have paid leave through their employers and most likely to need Social Security benefits when they retire.

“America’s moms want – and our families, our economy and our nation need – a national paid leave plan that is comprehensive, affordable and sustainable. The Rubio/Romney/Wagner/Crenshaw plan is not. It would be a step backward for the country. Congress must reject it and instead pass the Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, which would create a social insurance fund that benefits all workers in this country.”