Paid Leave Advocates Pull Out All Stops to Keep Benefit in Bill

Paid-leave advocates are turning to an old ally to fight for a new entitlement program guaranteeing all workers access to some paid medical and parental leave—Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.

Nineteen groups urged Becerra in a Tuesday letter, obtained by Bloomberg Law, to advocate for the paid-leave benefit as part of Democrats wide-ranging social spending package now under negotiation. The letter echoes concerns paid-leave supporters have expressed privately that the proposed new program is in danger of getting axed from the spending package, particularly if holdouts like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) insist on keeping the package’s price ...