Some Positive Bipartisanship?

Recently, U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R, La.) and Kyrsten Sinema
(D, Az.) coauthored the first bipartisan plan to create a federal
paid-parental leave program. Its features include a proviso for
new parents to obtain an advance of up to $5,000 on their child
tax credit to lighten the costs in the first year of having a child,
including adopting a child. The bill would offset the expense
by reducing the parents' credit for the next ten years.

The Democrats have a plan of their own, which in true Democrat
fashion is a much more expansive paid-leave program.
The aforementioned bipartisan plan, along with two bills drafted
and sponsored by Republican lawmakers, are creative ways of
repurposing existing funds to facilitate parents' efforts to support
new arrivals, again either by birth or adoption. In addition, this
legislation will force the Democrats to determine and state their
priority: either making family leave easier or, as is their pleasure,
raising taxes. If they choose the former, they will certainly be
helping to effect and promote the bipartisan cooperation and
compromise that they are forever claiming they desire. If they
go with the latter, the Dems will have to go before the public
and defend their decision to impose a further economic burden
on the taxpayers. Oh, the schadenfreude!


MEM