Sen. Marco Rubio on Wednesday will finally reveal his paid family leave proposal allowing parents to draw from future Social Security benefits.
"Our proposal would be a consistent application of Social Security's original principle — to provide assistance to dependents in our care — to the challenges of today," Rubio writes in a USA Today op/ed. He is introducing the bill with Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo.
Democrats have already criticized the plan, which Rubio has talked about for months, because it affects Social Security. People would delay future benefits in order to draw them for family leave.
"An increase in the retirement age is always a benefit cut," a spokeswoman for Social Security Works told the liberal Think Progress in February. "Either people are getting benefits for a shorter amount of time or if they choose to claim later their bonus for deferring benefits will be smaller."
Rubio pitches it as a conservative solution to an idea long advocated by Democrats.
"Like Social Security, the benefits under our plans would be most generous to working class families. Parents taking the option would receive monthly payments that will help cover costs like rent, groceries and new baby supplies during a time of significant income constraints," Rubi writes. "The benefit will also be transferable between parents in the household. And unlike other paid parental leave proposals, this option would be available to working and stay-at-home moms and dads alike."
Rubio was expected to introduced the bill earlier in July but that was delayed.
The idea, backed by Ivanka Trump, matches one promoted by theIndependent Women’s Forum, which called for 12 weeks of paid leave per parent. To get that, an adult would defer Social Security retirement benefits by six weeks.