On the State of the Union

We were encouraged to see President Biden acknowledge a broad range of care, work-family justice, and gender equity issues last night. Reproductive health plays a role in all three, and we agree that it’s essential for Congress and state legislatures to protect the right for all people to choose when, if, and how to start families. Biden’s support for a broad range of family-supporting economic policies including an increased minimum wage, the creation of good jobs, increased affordable housing, and federal paid family and medical leave* is essential, and we encourage Congress to make these things a possibility. We were also excited to hear a call for increased access to preschool for three- and four-year-olds. Though the president did call for supporting child care, home care, and family care, he did not go as far as specifically calling for a universal program, which we would support and have written extensively about. The expanded Child Tax Credit, which Biden also called on Congress to pass, was a lifeline for many families during the pandemic, cutting the child poverty rate in half. A scaled-back version passed the House in January and awaits action in the Senate. It could provide much-needed relief for millions of American families.

That said, the president missed a few key issues. While women’s health and domestic violence were both mentioned, there was no reference to how these issues disproportionately impact women with specific marginalized identities or how we can shift existing policies to be more inclusive of all women. The president “has [the] back[s]” of transgender Americans, but there was no discussion of what that means from a policy perspective, nor the recent murder of a trans teenager in a school subject to Title IX. The sole mention of mental health, an issue that is having a startling impact on Americans across demographics and geographics, was a side note in a longer discussion about COVID-19, which is frustrating. Mental health is a universal issue, just like health care more generally, and we know the Biden administration has worked to address it.

It’s clear that family-supportive policies are a priority for the president, which is exciting to see, but there is always more that can be done to ensure our discussion of these issues is inclusive, intersectional, and nuanced. We look forward to more conversations in the coming months!

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*Some advocates have pointed out that Biden’s promise not to raise taxes for the majority of families makes it more difficult to accomplish federal paid leave. Though there are many ways that a program could be funded, states with paid leave programs have found the most sustainable option is a small payroll tax on employees and, sometimes, employers, much like Social Security.