Hours after Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffe's defeat in the Virginia governor's race, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her intention to revive paid family and medical leave Wednesday as part of President Biden's 'Build Back Better' plan.
The idea, which picks up a provision dropped out of a 'framework' the White House released Friday, brings back a key benefit favored by progressives – but which West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is digging in against.
It revives an ongoing internal party clash as some leading Democrats are demanding urgent action on the president's agenda amid multiple signs about a GOP comeback.
'Because I have been informed by a Senator of opposition to a few of the priorities contained in our bill and because we must have legislation agreed to by the House and the Senate in the final version of the Build Back Better Act that we will send to the President’s desk, we must strive to find common ground in the legislation,' Pelosi wrote in a 'Dear Colleague' letter to fellow House Democrats.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that Democrats will include paid family and medical leave in their latest Build Back Better legislation coming up at the House Rules Committee
But she also wrote that she had asked Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Richard Neal 'for Paid Family and Medical Leave to be included' in legislation heading to the House Rules Committee.
'Today is another momentous day in our historic effort to make the future better for the American people, For The Children, to Build Back Better With Women, to save the planet,' she said, pointing to the COP climate summit still underway in Glasgow.
Pelosi was picking up an issue pushed by multiple Democrats including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the Senate – as well as Meghan Markle, who has kept up her push on the issue.
On Sunday, withe the proposal on the rocks, the Duchess of Sussex, gave $25 Starbucks gift cards to employees of a nonprofit pushing the paid leave issue. The U.S. remains one of only seven countries in the world that don't provide paid leave.
Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle wrote congressional leaders calling for paid leave – and recently bought Starbucks gift cards for members of an advocacy group
President Joe Biden included paid leave in his Build Back Better plan, but has yet to find a way to get his proposals through Congress
She pushed for lawmakers to act on the issue in a letter to Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer last month.
'Over the past 20 months, the pandemic has exposed long-existing fault lines in our communities. At an alarming rate, millions of women dropped out of the workforce, staying home with their kids as schools and daycares were closed, and looking after loved ones full-time. The working mom or parent is facing the conflict of being present or being paid. The sacrifice of either comes at a great cost,' she wrote.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin registered his immediate opposition to the move in the Capitol. 'I'm all for paid leave, I'm just not for unpaid leave,' he said, stressing his concerns about creating a new benefit he said would balloon the debt.
Shell-shocked Democrats thrown back by Republican Glenn Youngkin's win in the Virginia governor's race called Wednesday for immediate action on President Biden's budget to give them something tangible to run on in 2022.
Youngkin's win over Democrat McAuliffe, who conceded Wednesday morning, coincided with months of internal bickering over Biden's Build Back Better package – which stood at $1.75 trillion and was still in 'framework' form as of Wednesday.
Seasoned Democrats and outside groups are warning the party to put an end to the nasty display of sausage-making or face an ominous off-year election poorly armed.
'The Build Back Better bill as crafted in the Senate and House is going to meet the needs of working families, reduce their costs and combat inflation in a positive way,' Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a Biden ally, told MSNBC.
'I'd urge them to step forward and vote for it, because then we'd have something real to run on.'
Republican Glenn Youngkin's win over Democrat Terry McAuliffe has Democratic lawmakers calling for the party to end its display of sausage-making and hurry to act on Joe Biden's agenda, or face dissatisfied voters in 2022
House Majority Whip James C. Clyburn to Punchbowl, a Biden ally who serves as the chief vote counter in the House, told Punchbowl: 'Well, it just reinforces the fact that we need to get these things done,' when asked about Tuesday's results.
California Democratic Rep. Scott Peters, who knocked off a GOP incumbent in 2012 in a San Diego seat that trended Democratic, told Politico after watching Youngkin's big win: 'We have to show we can govern.'
'The picture has been of Democrats sparring amongst ourselves,' he added. 'That's probably not the best face to put out. I hope that there's more of working toward agreement, like we had today, than openly sparring with each other,' he said, in reference to a breakthrough on prescription drug costs.
The analysis came as the House GOP campaign arm announced it was expanding its target list of Democrats they will invest in defeating next year.
Matt Bennett, executive director of centrist group Third Way, pointed to the governing Democratic Party's inability to act on the big ticket items in a statement.
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons (Del.) spoke of the need for the party to 'have something real to run on' next year
'We need to get these things done,' Democratic Whip Rep. James C. Clyburn said
'People want action,' said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.)
'On stasis, the inability of Democrats – so far, at least – to deliver on the promises Joe Biden made last year is an unforced error,' he wrote. 'The months of in-fighting and sausage-making must come to an end. We must pass these two historic
