House puts paid leave back in budget bill

Democrats in the House said Wednesday that paid family and medical leave will be added back into their $1.75 trillion social-services and environmental bill, reviving a key element of President Joe Biden’s agenda as they rush to finish the package after dismal overnight election results.

Biden had reluctantly dropped a scaled-back paid leave proposal from last week’s White House framework after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., balked at the cost. But Democrats who have lobbied for a paid leave program as a Democratic priority for decades continued to push it, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

announced Wednesday it would be part of the House’s massive package.

The family leave provision is expected to include four weeks of paid time off for people to recover from major illness, childbirth, or to care for family members, according to three people familiar with the legislation who requested anonymity to discuss it. It is expected to be fully paid for, offset by revenues elsewhere.

It’s “a policy that will finally give workers and their families the peace of mind of knowing that when disaster strikes, they can rely on paid leave to avoid total crisis,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal said in a statement.

The last-minute addition came as Democrats are desperate to deliver on Biden’s signature domestic proposals after grim election results overnight in Virginia, where voters chose a Republican political newcomer, Glenn Youngkin, over seasoned Democrat Terry McAuliffe for governor.

Most voters in Virginia said drawn-out negotiations in Washington over Biden’s governing agenda were an important factor in their vote, so blame was flowing to Capitol Hill as Democrats have spent months arguing over details of the package.

They are now rushing to shelve differences, particularly with holdouts Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. The final 1600-page plus bill text was set to be released ahead of a Wednesday hearing and House votes as soon as this week.