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2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Last updated on: 4/14/2016 9:52:06 AM PST

Should the Federal Government Guarantee Paid Family and Medical Leave?



Pro
Clinton
Clinton

Stein
Stein

Trump
Trump

Con
Johnson
Johnson

Not Clear or Not Found





Pro (Yes)

Pro
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton
Democrat

"Today, the United States is the only developed nation in the world with no guaranteed paid leave of any kind. In fact, only 13 percent of American workers have access to paid family leave—with the lowest paid workers up to four times less likely to have access than the highest paid…

Hillary has long believed it's past time for that to change. In an economy where both men and women typically hold down a paying job and women are breadwinners in two-thirds of families with children, paid family and medical leave is core to our economic growth and competitiveness. Paid leave helps families remain economically stable, benefits children’s early health and development by allowing parents to care for their newborn children, and reduces employee turnover. The availability of paid leave bolsters our economy by allowing more Americans to participate fully in the workforce and ensures that we don’t leave any talent on the sidelines.

As president, Hillary will:

Guarantee up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. Under Hillary’s plan, workers—men and women—will be guaranteed up to 12 weeks of paid family leave to care for a new child or a seriously ill family member, such as an elderly, ailing parent or a spouse with cancer, and up to 12 weeks of medical leave to recover from a serious illness or injury of their own."

Source: 2016 Hillary for America, "Paid Family and Medical Leave," hillaryclinton.com (accessed Apr. 5, 2016)
Pro
Jill Stein
Jill Stein
Green

"Enact paid sick leave and family leave, strong overtime protections."

Source: Jill 2016, "Power to the People Plan," jill2016.com (accessed May 19, 2016)
Now Pro
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Republican

"The United States is the only developed country that does not provide cash benefits for new mothers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor: ‘Only 12 percent of U.S. private sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employer.’ Each year, 1.4 million women who work give birth without any paid leave from their employer.

The Trump plan will enhance Unemployment Insurance (UI) to include 6 weeks of paid leave for new mothers so that they can take time off of work after having a baby. This would triple the average 2 weeks of paid leave received by new mothers, which will benefit both the mother and the child."

Source: Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., “Child Care Reforms That Will Make America Great Again,” donaldjtrump.com (accessed Sep. 14, 2016)

[Editor's Note: Trump previously expressed a Not Clearly Pro or Con opinion on this question. Read Trump's former position on guaranteed paid family and medical leave.]
Con (No)

Con
Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson
Libertarian

"I would be opposed to that."

Source: Phone Interview with ProCon.org, June 14, 2016



FORMER CANDIDATES
(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear below in black and white and in alphabetical order.)



Pro
Sanders
Sanders

Con
Cruz
Cruz

Not Clear or Not Found
Bush
Bush
Carson
Carson
Christie
Christie
Fiorina
Fiorina
Graham
Graham
Huckabee
Huckabee
Kasich
Kasich
O'Malley
O'Malley
Paul
Paul
Rubio
Rubio





Pro (Yes)

Pro
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
Democrat

"[W]e are the only major country on earth that does not provide paid family and medical leave...

We talk a lot about family values in America, and yet there are babies being born in Iowa, babies being born Vermont today, who because their moms do not have sufficient income... those moms are going to have to be separated from their babies because they have to go back to work...

In my view, and I have to say this is a fairly conservative approach, every worker in America should be guaranteed at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. This is not as strong as many other countries around the world, but it would be a huge step forward for our country and provide enormous relief to millions of our families."

Source: Bernie 2016, "Paid Family and Medical Leave | Bernie Sanders," youtube.com, Jan. 8, 2016
Con (No)

Con
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz
Republican

"I think maternity leave and paternity leave are wonderful things. I support them personally. But I don't think the federal government should be in the business of mandating them."

Source: Making It Work – Iowa, "Making It Work in Iowa," youtube.com, Aug. 28, 2015


None Found
Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
Republican

Withdrew on Feb. 20, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Ben Carson
Ben Carson
Republican

Withdrew on Mar. 4, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Chris Christie
Chris Christie
Republican

Withdrew on Feb. 10, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Carly Fiorina
Carly Fiorina
Republican

Withdrew on Feb. 10, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham
Republican

Withdrew on Dec. 21, 2015; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Republican

Withdrew on Feb. 1, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





Not Clearly Pro or Con
John Kasich
John Kasich
Republican

"The one thing we need to do for working women is to give them the flexibility to be able to work at home online… The reason why that's important is, when women take maternity leave or time to be with the children, then what happens is they fall behind on the experience level, which means that the pay becomes a differential… And we need to accommodate women who want to be at home, having a healthy baby and in fact being involved, however many years they want to take care of the family."

Source: Darrel Rowland, “Paid Leave Hurts Equal Pay: Kasich,” dispatch.com, Jan. 9, 2016





None Found
Martin O'Malley
Martin O'Malley
Democrat

Withdrew on Feb. 1, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Rand Paul
Rand Paul
Republican

Withdrew on Feb. 3, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio
Republican

Withdrew on Mar. 15, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.








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