WASHINGTON _ Ivanka Trump says legislation guaranteeing paid parental leave for federal workers, expected to pass Congress, is a "monumental step" that she hopes will lead to the creation of a paid leave program for all Americans.
The senior White House adviser and daughter of President Donald Trump said the provision attached to a defense bill is evidence that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are engaged and committed to producing a policy that will work for the private sector.
"It is a very positive development," Ivanka Trump said of the legislation on an issue that has been a priority of hers at the White House.
She is preparing to host governors, parents, private-sector paid leave advocates, administration officials and lawmakers at the White House on Thursday for a bipartisan summit on paid leave and child care.
Trump said the White House is "absolutely" satisfied with the defense bill that gives the troops a pay raise, establishes a Space Force and offers paid leave to federal workers for the first time but not private sector employees.
"This couldn't be a vehicle to do something more than that," she said of paid leave in an interview Tuesday with McClatchy. "We're in a process now where we're working with bipartisan lawmakers to put forward fresh new solutions to solve the problem."
The White House has encouraged Congress to approve the legislation, which includes 12 weeks of paid parental leave for federal workers.
Roughly 2.1 million federal workers will gain access to paid leave when they adopt, foster or give birth to a child, once the legislation passes.
"They've been talking about this for decades with no action. So the president is yet again delivering where others have talked, promised and failed," Ivanka Trump said.
The provision in the National Defense Authorization Act that provides for paid leave is a version of a proposal championed by House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney. It passed twice this year in the Democratic-run House but was not brought for a vote in the Republican-led Senate.
Maloney's bill included 12 weeks of paid medical leave for federal workers to take care of an ill family member. That is different from the provision in the defense legislation, which only addresses paid parental leave.
At a hearing and a news conference on Tuesday, Maloney, D-N.Y., continued to push for a comprehensive leave policy for federal workers and private sector employees.
"This agreement is not perfect, but it's an extraordinary start," she said.
A majority of lawmakers who are part of a bicameral conference committee have agreed to support the defense bill.
Ivanka Trump said she has seen "true momentum" on Capitol Hill on the issue in the last six months. "I don't think that there's ever been more traction on this issue, with the goal of finding a solution that is grounded in conservative values of work and family," she said.
Among the lawmakers invited to her paid family leave summit this week are Democrats who have put forward different versions of legislation on the issue. Reps. Colin Allred, D-Texas, and Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., are expected to participate. Maloney was invited to attend a portion of the summit, as was Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.
Sinema and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., have proposed paid parental leave legislation in the Senate that gives families a $5,000 advance on future child tax credits to help cover the cost of missed wages after the birth or adoption of a child.
In the House, Allred and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., have introduced a companion bill mirroring their Senate colleagues' legislation.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., have introduced the FAMILY Act, which would create a national paid family and medical leave program. The bill has more than 100 Democratic cosponsors in the House and the support of one Republican, Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey.
DeLauro and Gillibrand were not invited to this week's summit, according to Hearst Connecticut Media.
"I respect the fact that they have strong views on this legislation. What we are seeking to do with the summit is find people on both sides of the aisle who are willing to move off talking points and towards a solution, a compromise," Ivanka Trump told McClatchy.
"The FAMILY Act, whether you love the legislation or don't love the legislation, it has been put forth every year since 2012. Never had presidential support, including under President Obama," she said.
She said she welcomes Gillibrand and DeLauro's participation in the conversation taking place around paid leave.
"But we're at a point where we need _ if we're actually going to deliver something that is meaningful and provide relief to working families _ we need new ideas, because they have had plenty of time to realize their goals and have failed to do so."
