Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is demanding family leave for himself every single weekend, but he has refused to support virtually every bill that would give American workers a few days of family leave.
When Ryan listed his demands for taking the job as speaker, he said, “The last one is personal. I cannot and will not give up my family time. I may not be able to be on the road as much as previous speakers, but I pledged to make up for it with more time communicating our message.”
While demanding family leave for himself, Rep. Ryan has opposed every piece of legislation that would give less family leave than he is demanding to America’s workers.
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Politico listed just a few of the bills that Ryan has voted against:
Like every other member of the House GOP caucus, Ryan declined to sign on to a bill sponsored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) guaranteeing up to seven days of paid sick leave for workers at businesses employing 15 or more workers. The paid sick days may go toward to taking care of a sick child.
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Ryan also withheld support from another DeLauro bill, this one co-sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D.-N.Y.), that would establish a national paid family and medical leave insurance program through an independent trust fund, funded by employers and employees, within the Social Security Administration. That bill (which would appear to eliminate the disincentive mentioned by Schaeffer) was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, which Ryan chairs. The committee has yet to take up the measure.
Rep. Ryan has gone so far as to refuse to explain why he opposes family leave. His office won’t comment on his opposition, and despite loving doing media interviews, Ryan has never explained why he opposes family leave.
Paul Ryan is wants paid family leave for himself what he refuses to give to the American people. Ryan’s sense of rich white Republican entitlement is strong. If he becomes speaker, it will mean more House Republican catering to the wealthy while ignoring the rest of the country.
Ryan’s hypocrisy is not unique. The hypocrisy of the Paul Ryan is the hypocrisy of the Republican Party.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
