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Statement

Moms Leader Blasts Report that U.S. Sen. Manchin Is Willing to Support Only One of the Policies Moms and Families Need in Build Back Better Package. Lawmakers ‘Should Not Have to Roll the Dice for Families.’

October 7, 2021
Paid Family & Medical Leave, Early Care & Education, Health Care

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO of MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the Axios report about Senator Manchin’s demand that the Build Back Better budget reconciliation package include either child care, paid leave, or home- and community-based services, but not all of them:

“If the Axios report is true, Senator Manchin has some explaining to do to moms and families in West Virginia and across America. Moms, families, businesses, and our economy need paid leave when serious illness strikes or a new child comes, affordable child care, AND home- and community-based services for people with disabilities and seniors.

“There's no single public policy that will solve the slow-rolling crisis families faced before the pandemic that has now turned into a runaway train wreck; but a combination of policy solutions that are in the reconciliation package that Congress is moving, along with the infrastructure package, will go a long way toward building a care infrastructure that helps our families, our economy, and our country both in times of crisis like this one and also in times of opportunity.

“Moving these policies forward together isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the economically smart thing to do: A recent study found that finally building a care infrastructure would lift our country's long-term real GDP growth by 10-15 basis points. Studies also show access to paid leave when illness strikes significantly lowers COVID transmission. We know that a full 32% of women ages 25 to 44 who were pushed out of jobs were pushed out simply because they didn't have access to child care; the employment gains from building a care infrastructure would be highly significant.

“Choosing between these policies is forcing lawmakers to roll the dice for families, businesses and our economy.

Will families struggle to make ends meet and suffer hardship when a new baby comes? When a family member gets hospitalized for severe COVID-19, has a stroke, or gets cancer? Will parents be forced to leave their jobs when an infant or toddler needs child care and preschool? Or when a family member with a disability or one who is frail and older needs home-based services?

 “Together, paid family/medical leave, fully funded child care, and home- and community-based services will create the care infrastructure our country needs. Together, they are job-creating and job-enabling. Together, they make it possible for women to go into and stay in the workforce to support their families. Together, they support businesses. Together, they advance racial and gender equality. Together, they make a just recovery possible. Together, they allow families, our economy, and our country to thrive.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.