Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Jimmy Gomez, Vice Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education sent a letter to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia requesting information and a staff briefing on the Department of Labor’s implementation of paid leave provisions in the Family First Coronavirus Response Act.
In March, Congress passed the bipartisan Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which expanded access to paid sick leave and paid family leave during the COVID-19 pandemic. In August, the Department of Labor’s Inspector General issued a report highlighting key flaws in the Administration’s implementation of the program, and a federal judge in New York ruled that the Administration defied Congress’s intent in implementing the law. The letter raises concerns highlighted by the Inspector General report, the court decision, and other issues with the Administration’s implementation of these provisions, which could have the effect of limiting workers’ access to paid leave.
“We are concerned that the Administration is actively defying Congressional intent and may be attempting to limit the number of workers who use paid sick leave and paid family leave benefits to which they are entitled," wrote the members of Congress. “Access to paid leave is particularly crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. It undermines both our economic recovery and our efforts to combat coronavirus when workers must choose between working and staying home when they or their family members are sick or quarantining in order to protect others."
