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Statement

MomsRising on the #DemDebate: “Paid Family Leave is ON the Agenda”

October 13, 2015
MomsVote, Paid Family & Medical Leave

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

At the first Democratic Presidential Debate, the candidates talked about a number of issues critical to families and to our national economy - specifically highlighting the importance of paid family and medical leave. Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEO of MomsRising.org, issued the following statement on tonight’s debate
“At tonight’s Democratic debate, we heard Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders outspokenly advocate for the expansion of paid family and medical leave in the U.S. to resounding applause.
 
Plain and simple, this issue is on the agenda for American voters - and no candidate can expect to get elected without having a plan to update our outdated policies so our families and businesses have the basic economic tools they need to succeed.
 
The fact that paid family leave is garnering more attention from the Presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle and made the center stage at the Democratic debate tonight isn’t an accident.  Moms and their families across the country are suffering from our nation’s antiquated family economic security policies. Women are 50% of the labor force for the first time in history, yet our public policies lag behind the rest of the world. In fact, the US is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not provide families with the opportunity to earn paid family and medical leave insurance to care for newborn infants or elderly, sick loved ones.  With moms now serving as 40% of all family breadwinners, these policies are a basic economic necessity for our families and our economy to thrive”
 
The over one million members of MomsRising have long prioritized this policy and are fighting for it at the city, state and federal levels, along with other policies that boost our economy and our families.
 
The candidates also mentioned a number of other issues critical to mothers and their families in the upcoming election including expanding healthcare, dealing with climate change, childcare, making communities safe from gun violence, addressing racial inequities, reforming our country’s immigration policies, guaranteeing equal pay, and raising the minimum wage. Mentioning issues of racial justice and immigration is a step in the right direction but we need a strong commitment and a plan - and we look forward to hearing more.”
 
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These policy priorities and more, were voted on by MomsRising members as top priorities, and are on the MomsRising Presidential Debate tracking sheet that can be found here: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/momsrising_detective/
 
MomsRising members across the country tracked the #DemDebate on Twitter and Facebook with the MomsRising’s “Do the Presidential Candidates Have a Clue?” tracking sheet.  
 
See how MomsRising members scored this debate here: https://twitter.com/momsrising  
 
For more information, or to speak to a member of MomsRising, please contact Gretchen Wright or Kim Hayes at 202/371-1999. 
 

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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.