Ivanka Trump met with Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and other lawmakers Tuesday to discuss paid family leave.
The president’s daughter, a businesswoman and mother of three, has championed the paid leave program for mothers and fathers in her father’s proposed budget since the 2016 campaign trail, according to Politico..
“Childcare is a major expense for American working families,” she tweeted. “This Admin. is focused on creating policy solutions to enable them to thrive!”
President Trump’s $25-billion paid leave program requires six weeks of paid leave for new parents funded by unemployment taxes over ten years. Because it would likely require a tax hike for businesses, the plan has struggled to gain traction among Republicans.
Since calling for paid family leave during the election, Ivanka has met with lawmakers and outside groups to explore the issue.
Trump attended the meeting to discuss pro-family tax reform at the invitation of Sen. Rubio, one of the Republican in support of paid family leave. In 2015, he proposed a $2,500 tax credit and included paid family leave in his 2016 presidential campaign platform.
In a statement, he said he was “glad to see strong support for pro-family policies that empower parents to make decisions that are best for their children, and he looks forward to working with his congressional colleagues to make tax relief for working families an essential piece of comprehensive tax reform.”
The group of lawmakers also talked about how to best deliver the tax relief that Ivanka and her father have promised. Members discussed making the Child Tax Credit more impactful for the working class and eliminating marriage penalties in the tax code.
Ivanka tweeted after the meeting her enthusiasm for the discussions she was able to have with the lawmakers gathered.
Just left a productive meeting on the Hill to discuss issues affecting American working families, including childcare & paid family leave!
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 20, 2017
Childcare is a major expense for American working families. This Admin. is focused on creating policy solutions to enable them to thrive!
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 20, 2017
Legislators must approve next year’s fiscal budget, which includes Trump’s proposal for paid family leave, before October.