There are some who disagree. They oppose paid maternity and paternity leave...

We must not only celebrate them; we must elevate them.

We need to alleviate the economic insecurity of middle-class families, of working people.

I believe it is our duty to level the playing field for middle class families and for working people, especially now.

We need a policy that supports hardworking young women who are having their children, that supports the father in crisis...

I introduced the FAMILY Act with my partner in the Senate, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

I am here this morning to advocate for Medicare for America, which I first introduced with my dear friend and my colleague, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

The cost savings around healthcare and the access to paid leave are integrally related.

I know, when I entered Congress, I represent the 2nd congressional District of Illinois, and I had the highest rate of foreclosures in my area because of healthcare issues.

You know, as Members of Congress, I believe it is our duty to level the playing field for middle class families and for working people, especially now.

How do we make sure that we're not piling on medical debt, lack of access to paid leave, student debt, high housing prices, and wages that aren't growing.

Unaffordable, out-of-pocket healthcare costs aren't just an issue in my State.

So, the market is responding, but that's because we had the courage enough to pass a law that most people said would drive business out of California, when California is now the economic engine, and always has been, of the country.

With my plan, we can move towards affordable, universal coverage without starting from scratch.

I think the infant mortality problem in the United States is very real.

At its core, Medicare for America is about ensuring that every American has healthcare.

I had a bill that would take the Medicaid coverage to a year instead of 2 months, but I could not get one Republican on that bill.

Medicare for America achieves universal, affordable, high-quality health coverage by creating a program based on Medicare and Medicaid that covers all Americans.

I am the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust, so I am very concerned about the disparities in health for minorities.

My current bill would provide Federal employees... with 12 weeks of paid leave...

We are the ones who make these decisions.

Providing this benefit is a significant and important investment in our future.

The Tax Code helps to shape how companies structure their employment, and you have got in the recent TCJA a 20 percent deduction for certain passthrough income enacted in that bill.

I would think that our Tax Code exacerbates the very point that you have made.

Tax policy is one of the most important tools that we have to address economic inequality and to promote gender and racial equity, but today it does too little.