Thread by @SenSherrodBrown

Today, Sherrod and Senator Bill Cassidy are holding a bipartisan hearing in the Social Security Subcommittee about paid family and medical leave. Follow Sherrod’s opening statement here, and watch live → facebook.com/SenatorSherrod…

"American families lose nearly $21 billion in wages each year because they don’t have access to paid leave. People who work in jobs like ours, who wear suits and have good benefits, may not realize that the vast majority of American workers have no paid family leave at all."

"Today’s bipartisan hearing is an important baby step forward on this issue. Members of both parties are coming together to recognize that this isn’t acceptable in a modern economy, & acknowledging that we have to expand our social insurance to include paid family medical leave."

"Today, Democrats have put forward a thoughtful approach that I believe could reach consensus. This is a commonsense bill that builds on Social Security. It would offer low-cost, portable benefits that all US workers would earn & it would be paid for by both workers & employers."

"My Republican colleagues also have some ideas on the table, and I want to thank them for their desire to work together on this issue. Democrats too are at the table, ready to negotiate and reach a solution that can become law."

"Unfortunately, the approach some of our colleagues are currently proposing amounts to cutting Social Security for the workers who need it most."

"Using your retirement security to fund paid time off from work when you have a child is not paid family leave at all – it’s robbing from your retirement to be able to care for loved ones now."

"We also know that only covering parental leave excludes the vast majority of workers. Three-quarters of Americans who use the #FMLA take time off to care for their own health or that of a seriously ill family member."

"Any national paid leave plan should build on the #FMLA, and reflect the well-established needs laid out in that law – parental leave, family care leave, personal medical leave, and military caregiving leave."

"We all want to help families navigate a changing economy, and make sure hard work pays off. We believe that all work has dignity. So I’m encouraged that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle are taking this seriously."