[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 197 (Tuesday, December 10, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S6911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   National Defense Authorization Act

  Madam President, on another happier subject, over the weekend, 
negotiations on the annual defense bill concluded. There are lots of 
things missing in that bill, things that should have been included but 
were blocked by the Republican majority in the Senate. But there is one 
very good thing, among a few others. I am proud that the bill will now 
provide all Federal employees with 12 weeks of paid parental leave, 
something Democrats have pursued for a long time.
  Once the NDAA is passed--hopefully in the coming week--1 million 
Federal employees will no longer have to choose between caring for a 
newborn and putting food on the table. This is huge, huge news. It will 
make the lives of millions of families better if you have a newborn 
baby that needs care, he or she. I just had a grandson who turned 1. I 
know just exactly what it is like. If both mom and dad work or it is a 
single-parent family, what is that family going to do?
  It is one of the nerve-racking decisions that impedes on the joy of 
the new birth. Well, in many other countries, there is something called 
paid family leave where you can take off 3 months and raise the child 
in those early days when he or she is helpless. In the United States, 
some private companies are progressively doing it, but not enough. 
Well, now all Federal employees will get that opportunity with parental 
leave. It recognizes the changes in the world.
  When I was growing up, my mom stayed at home while my dad went to 
work, who was an exterminator. That is not the norm anymore. Most 
families have two working parents, and we have lots of single parents 
who bear the load of raising a family. All it takes is one serious 
illness, complication, or accident to wreak financial havoc on that 
family.
  It is no surprise that paid family leave ranks near the top of 
voters' concerns. The United States is the only developed nation in the 
world that does not guarantee paid leave for parents of newborns or 
newly adopted. I hope that, after we pass parental leave for Federal 
employees, employees in the private sector will take notice and they 
will act as well. If this spreads throughout America, as often Federal 
policies do, it will be a great thing for our parents and our children.
  Today, only 16 percent of workers in the private sector have access 
to paid leave. Studies overwhelmingly show that, when working parents 
can take care of their families without the fear of losing jobs, 
families are better off, and the economy is better off as well. So I am 
glad that the long push we have made on this side of the aisle for 
parental leave has been secured for all family workers. I hope it will 
become a reality soon for all workers, and I want to thank my 
colleagues who helped make this a reality.