I was proud to vote for the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1994, which granted 12 weeks of unpaid leave.

This should be an issue that has the kind of bipartisan support in Washington that it has throughout the entire country.

As our Nation seeks to recover from the pandemic, permanent comprehensive paid leave is essential to support workers and the families who depend on them.

Paid leave rewards work, strengthens people's attachment to the work force, and promotes employee retention.

These questions are not a diversion, as Speaker Pelosi has stated. They get to the truth and accountability.

But at the end of the day, this is about values that unite us like love, responsibility, dignity, and care.

Chairwoman Maloney refused to hold a hearing on this gross mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.

This is an unsustainable phenomenon.

The answer, clearly and unequivocally, is no. These are choices that no one should have to make.

I look forward to working with you to make paid leave for all a reality.

Not surprisingly, the vast majority of Americans, including most Republicans, support paid leave.

This government abuse should be investigated, especially since it is happening in the district which is under this committee's jurisdiction.

This is the very definition of government mismanagement and is ripe for congressional oversight.

The Biden/Harris administration and Democrats in Congress will continue to work to enact paid family and medical leave for all employees in the Federal Government and the private sector.

Let us be clear, paid leave would benefit both workers and employers.

The Oversight Committee's time would be better spent focused on our committee's mission of identifying and preventing government waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.

Ensuring comprehensive paid leave for Federal workers through H.R. 56--564 would help lead the way for comprehensive paid family and medical leave for all American workers.

Today's hearing to consider expanding paid leave even further for Federal workers shows Democrats' priorities are incredibly distorted.

We are the greatest country in the world. Can't we respect our workers?

We have seen that countless families continue to suffer because our Nation still has no nationwide paid family and medical leave policy.

When President Biden announced it, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.

This is a gross abuse of power and Governor Cuomo must be held accountable for his actions that resulted in the death of thousands of senior citizens.

We must also determine what effects, if any, the administration has taken to prevent this from ever happening again.

We need to put the American people first, not the special interest of Federal bureaucrats.

As we emerge from a deadly health crisis that has exacerbated gender, racial, and economic disparities and weakened the work force, it is time for paid leave for all as a national priority.