Abby McCloskey and Aparna Mathur, "Paid Leave Proposal Isn't A New Entitlement," March 5, 2018

"We take issue with the idea that government-paid parental-leave is political “suicide” for Republicans. Paid parental leave has been found to encourage workforce attachment for new mothers in particular, making it a pro-growth policy that should be in the Republicans’ wheelhouse. It has been found to reduce reliance on other government benefits, such as food stamps, making families more independent. And it has been found to improve mothers’ and children’s health outcomes, which should matter to a pro-family audience. On top of these things, paid parental leave would be relatively inexpensive, representing less than 1% spent on Social Security each year.

Instead of dismissing new programs outright, irrespective of merits, conservatives should be doing the hard work of reforming the existing system to make sense for the 21st-century economy.

We believe that includes the creation of a paid parental-leave program. Not only is it good economics, but one would think it smart politics, given conservatives’ lagging gap among women and voters of childbearing age."