Department of Homeland Security records reveal that Biden’s presidential transition team in early 2021 denied a request for paid parental leave from two married DHS employees as they tried to care for the medical needs of a premature baby who spent the first week of life in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The couple, Cherie Short and Michael Bars, were political appointees of the Trump administration, who say they weren’t interested in salaries but only health insurance to help care for their infant.
The denial of paid parental leave to them by the incoming Biden administration came after homeland security officials said Biden-Harris transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, had reviewed the couple’s request.
It's about time that federal workers get paid parental leave. Congratulations to @BrianSchatz and @CarolynBMaloney for pushing this bill over the finish line in Congress. https://t.co/UlhL1s87HC
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 18, 2019
[Politico had reported these issues in February 2021, including the case of Short and Bars, as Lucas notes. At the time, they didn’t want to go on the record, but they clearly do now. — Ed]
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