Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), whose second child is due in April, will be the first sitting senator to give birth while in office. (Photo: AFGE/Flickr/cc)
Vowing to Fight for Working Moms, Sen. Duckworth Says Even She 'Technically Can't Take Maternity Leave'
United States' lack of support for new parents extends to Capitol Hill, says senator
Now that Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) is set to become the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office, she is calling attention to the lack of support that exists for parents on Capitol Hill--mirrored by the absence of paid family leave laws for working Americans.
"I can't technically take maternity leave," Duckworth told Politico's "Women Rule" podcast. "Because if I take maternity leave, then I won't be allowed to sponsor legislation or vote during that time period."
The first-term senator is working with Senate leadership to determine how she'll be able to cast votes during the 12-week leave she's arranged to take through her office.
"You are not allowed to bring children onto the floor of the Senate at all," Duckworth said. "If I have to vote, and I'm breastfeeding my child, especially during my maternity leave period, what do I do?...Am I allowed to vote? Can I not do my job?"
The absence of Senate rules catering to women who start families comes to light as women's advocates decry a new family leave proposal by Ivanka Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)--one that they claim will end the United States' status as the only industrialized nation that doesn't provide paid maternity leave, but that critics say is a wrong-headed solution to a serious problem that will actually rob women of financial security.
Under Rubio and Trump's plan, new parents could take up to 12 weeks of leave upon the arrival of a new baby--but their time off would be funded by their social security benefits.
"What this really is is a cut to Social Security," Linda Benesch, spokesperson for Social Security Works, told ThinkProgress last week. "The proposal that Rubio and Ivanka are reportedly considering involves an increase in the retirement age of people who choose to take leave. An increase in the retirement age is always a benefit cut."
Duckworth advocates for the FAMILY Act, reintroduced last year by Sen. Kirsten Gillbrand (D-N.Y.), which, as she wrote last week in an editorial for CNN, would create "a universal family and medical leave insurance program that would cost employers and employees less than $1.50 per week for a typical worker."
In her interview with Politico, she argued that women in Congress should promote family leave as an issue of economic stability for families and the nation, contrasting with Rubio and Trump's proposal.
"The more women we get into office, the more family-friendly legislation we're going to have, and the more we're going to get an understanding of the connection between family-friendly legislation and economic well-being for our nation," she said. "We need family leave not because it's the warm and fuzzy and nice thing to do, but because it's better for our economy."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Now that Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) is set to become the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office, she is calling attention to the lack of support that exists for parents on Capitol Hill--mirrored by the absence of paid family leave laws for working Americans.
"I can't technically take maternity leave," Duckworth told Politico's "Women Rule" podcast. "Because if I take maternity leave, then I won't be allowed to sponsor legislation or vote during that time period."
The first-term senator is working with Senate leadership to determine how she'll be able to cast votes during the 12-week leave she's arranged to take through her office.
"You are not allowed to bring children onto the floor of the Senate at all," Duckworth said. "If I have to vote, and I'm breastfeeding my child, especially during my maternity leave period, what do I do?...Am I allowed to vote? Can I not do my job?"
The absence of Senate rules catering to women who start families comes to light as women's advocates decry a new family leave proposal by Ivanka Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)--one that they claim will end the United States' status as the only industrialized nation that doesn't provide paid maternity leave, but that critics say is a wrong-headed solution to a serious problem that will actually rob women of financial security.
Under Rubio and Trump's plan, new parents could take up to 12 weeks of leave upon the arrival of a new baby--but their time off would be funded by their social security benefits.
"What this really is is a cut to Social Security," Linda Benesch, spokesperson for Social Security Works, told ThinkProgress last week. "The proposal that Rubio and Ivanka are reportedly considering involves an increase in the retirement age of people who choose to take leave. An increase in the retirement age is always a benefit cut."
Duckworth advocates for the FAMILY Act, reintroduced last year by Sen. Kirsten Gillbrand (D-N.Y.), which, as she wrote last week in an editorial for CNN, would create "a universal family and medical leave insurance program that would cost employers and employees less than $1.50 per week for a typical worker."
In her interview with Politico, she argued that women in Congress should promote family leave as an issue of economic stability for families and the nation, contrasting with Rubio and Trump's proposal.
"The more women we get into office, the more family-friendly legislation we're going to have, and the more we're going to get an understanding of the connection between family-friendly legislation and economic well-being for our nation," she said. "We need family leave not because it's the warm and fuzzy and nice thing to do, but because it's better for our economy."
Now that Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) is set to become the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office, she is calling attention to the lack of support that exists for parents on Capitol Hill--mirrored by the absence of paid family leave laws for working Americans.
"I can't technically take maternity leave," Duckworth told Politico's "Women Rule" podcast. "Because if I take maternity leave, then I won't be allowed to sponsor legislation or vote during that time period."
The first-term senator is working with Senate leadership to determine how she'll be able to cast votes during the 12-week leave she's arranged to take through her office.
"You are not allowed to bring children onto the floor of the Senate at all," Duckworth said. "If I have to vote, and I'm breastfeeding my child, especially during my maternity leave period, what do I do?...Am I allowed to vote? Can I not do my job?"
The absence of Senate rules catering to women who start families comes to light as women's advocates decry a new family leave proposal by Ivanka Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)--one that they claim will end the United States' status as the only industrialized nation that doesn't provide paid maternity leave, but that critics say is a wrong-headed solution to a serious problem that will actually rob women of financial security.
Under Rubio and Trump's plan, new parents could take up to 12 weeks of leave upon the arrival of a new baby--but their time off would be funded by their social security benefits.
"What this really is is a cut to Social Security," Linda Benesch, spokesperson for Social Security Works, told ThinkProgress last week. "The proposal that Rubio and Ivanka are reportedly considering involves an increase in the retirement age of people who choose to take leave. An increase in the retirement age is always a benefit cut."
Duckworth advocates for the FAMILY Act, reintroduced last year by Sen. Kirsten Gillbrand (D-N.Y.), which, as she wrote last week in an editorial for CNN, would create "a universal family and medical leave insurance program that would cost employers and employees less than $1.50 per week for a typical worker."
In her interview with Politico, she argued that women in Congress should promote family leave as an issue of economic stability for families and the nation, contrasting with Rubio and Trump's proposal.
"The more women we get into office, the more family-friendly legislation we're going to have, and the more we're going to get an understanding of the connection between family-friendly legislation and economic well-being for our nation," she said. "We need family leave not because it's the warm and fuzzy and nice thing to do, but because it's better for our economy."