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Americans reject Democrats’ approach that puts Washington in control of workers’ family leave and child care benefits over parents and workers, according to a new poll from the Winston Group.
Last month, The Winston Group did a poll of 1,000 voters comparing two paid family leave proposals without party labels. The comparison was ultimately between a Republican paid family leave proposal released in May versus the Democrat proposal.
The poll found that overall, 49 percent of voters prefer the GOP plan (Plan B) versus 25 percent of voters preferring the Democrat’s plan (Plan A).
Key Takeaways:
- 49 percent of voters support Republican ideas to expand access to paid leave versus Democrat’s new government-run paid leave entitlement.
- There is strong public support for a more targeted approach that focuses on gaps in the market, as opposed to replacing private plans with government-run paid leave. It also bolsters the argument that Congress should work on a bipartisan solution.
Paid Family Leave Plan Comparison – No Party Labels
| In thinking about a paid family and medical leave program, which plan would you prefer? | Overall | GOP | Indep. | Dem |
| Plan A, which would provide twelve weeks of universal paid family and medical leave and guaranteed access to child care by creating a paid family and medical leave program funded by taxpayer dollars and run by the IRS. |
25 |
16 |
20 |
36 |
| Plan B, which would expand access to paid family and medical leave by incentivizing more employers to provide leave and focusing on gaps in coverage; expand the employer provided family and medical leave tax credit and create new family savings accounts; incentivize and reduce costs for small employers to offer paid family leave; and target policies to low-wage workers. |
49 |
58 |
45 |
44 |
Background:
- Key Members of Congress Have Expressed Concerns About Cost of Democrats’ Paid Leave Plan: Senator Manchin and others have expressed concerns about the lack of work requirements, solvency of our existing trust funds, almost certain fraud, and the impact on small business.
- Democrats Continue to Change Their Proposal: Democrats shrunk the program from 12 to four weeks and moved administration from Treasury to the Social Security Administration.
- Major Seniors Group Worries About Impact on Social Security: Even AARP has expressed concern that using the Social Security Administration to administer a paid leave benefit could have a negative impact on Social Security Retirement benefits: “Voter’s age 50-plus are concerned that using the Social Security Administration (SSA) to administer a paid leave benefit could have a negative impact on Social Security Retirement benefits.”
Background on the Protecting Worker Paychecks and Family Choice Act:
- In May, House Republicans on both the Committees on Education & Labor and Ways & Means released an early draft of the Protecting Worker Paychecks and Family Choice Act that would expand access to paid family leave and child care and provide greater flexibility and choice to parents while focusing the greatest benefits on low-wage workers.
- Republicans are eager to work with Democrats to find common ground on an issue everyone can agree on — improving the lives of working families. Republican-led family-first tax policies built on years of bipartisan agreement to support the needs of families and encourage work.
- The “Protecting Worker Paychecks and Family Choice Act” is based on the premise that strong economic growth is the foundation for ensuring flexible options for families through better jobs, lower unemployment, and higher wages – not one size-fits mandates that put Washington in control and result in lower paychecks for workers.
RELATED:
Brady, Walorski Unveil New Family Leave and Child Care Package
Top 5 Reasons to Oppose Democrats’ Paid Leave Plan
Top 5 Reasons to Oppose Democrats’ Toddler Tax
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