Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida introduced a bill Aug. 2 that would allow new parents to collect Social Security payments while they are on family leave from work.
This type of bill had been talked about for a while, but no specific legislation had been offered until Rubio unveiled the legislation Aug. 2. Specifically, the bill would allow parents of newborns to receive Social Security benefits, based on their earnings history, but it would also force the people who utilize Social Security benefits for this purpose to delay retiring and receive Social Security benefits when they are ready to retire.
Rubio admitted the bill was a “conservative” approach to paid family leave that would not require a tax increase.
A majority of Democrats were unsupportive of the bill because it forces families to choose whether to collect Social Security funds now or save that money for retirement creating a no-win situation. In a story published by The Washington Post, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York said Rubio’s proposal does not come close to meeting the needs of Americans like a real paid-leave funding mechanism for workers would.
“This proposal forces workers into an impossible position: If they need to cover a medical emergency today, then their Social Security benefits get cut when it’s time to retire,” she said. “If they need to take care of a sick or dying parent, as three out of four people who need paid leave would use it, they get nothing.”
The Democrats are supporting other legislation which they say is a true family leave bill that would create a national paid-leave program with the payroll tax. That legislation has not gained traction in Congress, but political experts expect Rubio’s bill to suffer the same fate considering the midterm elections are just three months away.
