By Dee Steward
Conservatives believe government should be accountable to the people. Rather than far-off elites dictating excessive out-of-touch policies, our representatives in Congress should fight for what the people truly want while making sure we are fiscally responsible with their tax dollars. We similarly believe government should be responsive to the needs of the American family as the success of the nation is tied to the health of the family unit. The makeup of the new Congress offers a rare window of opportunity to pass a popular, bipartisan, and fiscally responsible national paid family and medical leave policy that benefits families first.
North Carolinians have made its position on this issue clear. Recent polling shows national paid family leave is supported by 84 percent of North Carolina voters. That is not surprising, as our economy has been battered by inflation, the pandemic, and international tumult. American families are feeling squeezed. Seventy-five percent of North Carolinians reported they would face financial hardship if they needed to take unpaid time off from work to look after a newborn or another member of their family.
A new law facilitating easier access to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave at a national level would help alleviate this stress, and Republicans have a chance to shape the outcome significantly. With slim margins in Congress, any final legislation would have to accommodate the interests of both sides. Rather than seeing this as an insurmountable challenge, lawmakers should view this as a chance to stake their claim on the issue and gain ground on long-sought goals.
Republicans, for their part, could leverage their influence in Congress to build a paid-for, pro-family policy. Conservatives should lean into this opportunity. A fiscally sound final product could have untold benefits that strengthen families and in some cases save lives through decreased infant mortality rates and better long-term health outcomes. This would also fit well into Republican efforts to improve the economy and get Americans back to work. Seventy-seven percent of poll respondents reflected that, noting their belief that paid family and medical leave would help encourage parents and caregivers to return to the workforce.
Giving individuals the freedom to balance both their work and family lives would also have economic benefits beyond workforce participation. Paid family and medical leave would help keep money in people’s pockets while they manage unavoidable aspects of life. This added certainty around take-home pay would give working families the assurance they need to continue to spend in their communities, supporting local restaurants, shops, and services. With Americans’ consumer confidence at a four-month low, as we head into the new year (and a potential recession), policies that materially deliver for the average family are urgently needed.
There are also political incentives for a bipartisan group of policymakers to push this issue. By leading a charge on the passage of a sensible paid family leave program, North Carolina’s legislators would be delivering on an issue their constituents care deeply about while ensuring such a program does not mutate into a liberal spending spree that would sink our country further into debt. This could reap huge rewards at the ballot box, potentially among key demographics. Women especially have shown the power of their vote in recent elections. With nearly nine in 10 independent women supporting the policy, lawmakers would be wise to do the same.
Politicians cannot simply pay lip service to such important issues as family values and financial security. Americans expect hard work to find a bipartisan agreement on national paid family leave that would signal that Washington is responsive to the will of the people.
Dee Stewart is the president of Americans for a Balanced Budget. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
