In a letter to The Wall Street Journal, Ivanka Trump defended the Trump administration’s proposed family leave program, stating that it is not an “entitlement” program, but an “investment” in working families. In a new opinion piece for CNN, CCF Director of Research Stephanie Coontz takes a look at Ivanka Trump’s claims and concludes that, although Ivanka Trump may deny that paid leave is an “entitlement,” her argument has merit. Coontz writes, “I heartily endorse Ivanka Trump’s argument that the real test of an entitlement program is whether it is an investment in the security and prosperity of all Americans.”
Stephanie Coontz also notes that the Trump administration has not embraced such investments. “Americans should be entitled to live in a society that invests in the jobs, education, and infrastructure they need to attain a comfortable standard of living now and to be confident their children and grandchildren will have equal or greater opportunities to succeed,” Coontz says.
Read the opinion piece here.
