- Trump’s nominees told Politico that Biden ended his parental leave when he took office.
- Paid family leave is a recent achievement for federal employees and came into force in October 2020.
- Biden was under no obligation to honor the license, but experts said it would set a good precedent.
- Visit the Insider Business section for more stories.
Several Trump political appointees told Politico that President Joe Biden shortened his paid parental leave shortly after taking office.
While Biden is under no obligation to honor former President Donald Trump’s political appointees’ family leave, experts told the agency that it would set a good precedent.
All former Trump workers who spoke to the Politico had paid family leave, approved for a period that covered the end of the Trump administration and the beginning of the Biden government.
Although federal officials appointed by a president normally leave their positions as soon as the government ends, those officials were told that their family license would be honored by the new government – only to know at the last minute that it would end as soon as Biden was sworn in.
The federal family license law was upheld by Ivanka Trump, portrayed here on December 12, 2019, the day her father, President Donald Trump, sanctioned the bill.
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Vanessa Ambrosius, a former deputy director of communications for the Commerce Department, told the Politician that she had a baby the week before Christmas and that her human resources department authorized her to take family leave from early January to late March.
The day before her baby was born, on December 17, she was told that her paid family leave would end as soon as Biden was sworn in, Politico said.
“I was completely screwed,” Ambrosini told Politico. “There were no caveats in that language saying anything about whether management turns around, you get nothing and, of course, that happened and then I didn’t get anything.”
Another unidentified couple who worked for Trump’s Homeland Security Department told the Politician that they were informed, two weeks after their baby was born prematurely, on December 18, that the agency had made a mistake and that his full license would not be honored. , due to the withdrawal of the Biden government on.
The couple said they directly appealed to the new government for special consideration, but were told they would get none.
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“This is not what you expected to hear, but I think I also knew that this was the most likely outcome. I am sorry to be the bearer of this news and I am sorry to have no other news,” said a Biden official told them in an email, that they shared with Politico.
There is no precedent for presidents to honor paid family leave from political appointees from previous governments, because paid family leave for federal officials did not take effect until last October.
Biden praised the law at the time it was passed, tweeting that it was “time for federal workers to receive paid parental leave … to meet their own health needs or care for any of their loved ones.”
The coronavirus stimulus package proposed by Biden also requires paid leave and childcare allowances.
—Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 18, 2019
Although Biden had no legal obligation to honor paid family leave for Trump nominees who received babies at the end of the administration, family license experts told Politico that it would have been a good look.
“Paid parental leave is really important for maternal health, for the child’s well-being, for family connectivity, and I can’t imagine being in the place of the new parents and not having the money,” said the family leave specialist. Adrienne Schweer to the Politician.
“Extending it to some people for a few months can be a good thing. There are precedents for unique circumstances, and I would love to see a good example of ensuring that as many people as possible can take paid parental leave.”
The Biden White House declined to officially comment to the Politico about the end of family leave benefits, but an anonymous official told the agency that there was simply not enough time to consider special accommodations due to the fact that the Trump administration postponed the transition. to the last minute.
“We understand that some Trump nominees, including a handful currently on parental leave, sent last-minute requests to remain on the government payroll,” said the quoted official. “As these requests were received so close to Induction Day … there was no way to implement an exception to the rule in a way that is fair to all outgoing nominees, including many who resigned as expected without making claims for extraordinary benefits. . “
Neither the White House nor the General Services Administration, the agency that handles presidential transitions, responded to Insider’s requests for comment.