Labor reporter @POLITICO and @POLITICOPro. Weekly Shift co-author. @MerrillCollege alum. Purveyor of overall nonsense. 
: emueller@politico.com. DM for Signal.
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Senate Democrats have decided to drop paid family and medical leave, a key cornerstone of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, from their mammoth social spending package Wednesday after attempts to drastically pare it down were deemed insufficient, three sources tell me.
In previous rounds of negotiations, the White House warned House Dems that paid leave would have to be cut, a source said. Lawmakers, advocates had fought successfully to keep it in the package by making dramatic changes from the universal 12-week benefit Biden initially proposed
But on Wednesday, the benefit fell victim to a broader effort to bring down the cost of the bill, which Democratic lawmakers plan to clear using reconciliation -- the Senate procedure that allows passage of spending-related legislation with a simple majority
Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, a longtime advocate for paid leave, negotiated with Sen. Joe Manchin throughout the week to keep paid leave in the bill -- sharing the stories of workers and drafting alternatives. But her efforts were unsuccessful
Already, advocates are fuming over what they see as an unwillingness by the White House to fight hard enough for a policy it won election on, particularly in the face of a public health crisis and an economic crisis that disproportionately impacted women and low-wage workers
Groups launched an eleventh-hour push to keep paid leave in the package, sending mass emails and flooding social media. The hashtag #SavePaidLeave appeared in posts by Paid Leave for All, National Women’s Law Center and other groups along with advocates like Melinda Gates
The U.S. is the only wealthy nation without paid leave. Just 23% of private-sector workers have access to paid family leave, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 77% have access to paid sick leave. In both instances, they are disproportionately higher-paid workers
Story pubbing soon. In the meantime, a reminder that @heatherscope, @AliceOllstein, @marianne_levine and I had this forecast on Saturday:https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/23/dems-weigh-ditching-medicare-expansion-and-paid-leave-in-11th-hour-of-social-spending-talks-516929 …
Live, on @POLITICongress: https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/10-27-2021/paid-family-leave-out/ …
Deeper dive for @POLITICOPro subscribers coming shortly.
Some Senate Dems are still fighting for the policy, with the opposition originating with Manchin -- not leadership. “Until the bill is printed, I will continue working to include paid leave in the Build Back Better plan," Gillibrand just said in an emailed statement
DeLauro is also not giving up, telling me in a statement: “I am not done pushing. I am going to keep fighting for the inclusion of paid family and medical leave until I see the final bill text. This is not over.”
The White House released a $1.75T framework this a.m. that does *not* include paid family and medical leave, in any form. Democrats have yet to reach a final agreement.
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