Advocacy groups decry Trump’s ‘anti-family policies’ ahead of White House summit

A coalition of national and state advocates on Wednesday criticized what they called the Trump administration’s “anti-family policies” ahead of a White House summit focused on child care and family leave.

Almost 100 groups signed an open letter a day before White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar host an event aimed at developing bipartisan support for a paid family and medical leave program.

In their letter, the 97 groups said administration policies “attack” families and children.

“Whether separating young children from their parents or penalizing families living paycheck-to paycheck by cutting off access to critical programs like Medicaid and nutrition assistance while giving trillions of dollars of tax breaks to Wall Street, the Trump administration has proven repeatedly that they are, in fact, anti-family,” the groups wrote.

“The letter is meant to serve as a reality check on this Administration’s anti-family record,” wrote Colin Seeberger, a spokesman for the left-leaning Center for American Progress.

Seeberger said that while the letter expresses opposition to the Trump administration, it does not oppose a new provision in a massive defense policy bill that would provide up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for civilian federal employees.

“While this is obviously a positive development, we must press forward to achieve paid family and medical leave for all,” Seeberger wrote.

He also highlighted that lawmakers such as Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who reintroduced the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (Family Act) in 2019 and have been key figures in the fight for paid family and medical leave, were not invited to the summit.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.