President Joe Biden failed to extend paid family leave for staffers in former President Donald Trump's administration who were already taking time off, Politico reports.
"I got completely screwed," said Vanessa Ambrosini, who worked in the Trump administration for four years as the deputy communications director at the Commerce Department.
Ambrosini had given birth about a week before Christmas and had previously been given permission to take leave from early January to late March. However, on the day before her due date she was informed that her leave would end once Biden assumed office.
"There were no caveats in that language saying anything about if the administration turns, you get nothing and of course, that happened and so I got nothing," she said.
Another couple who worked in the Department of Homeland Security under Trump said that they tried applying to the Biden administration directly, but were denied.
"This is not what you were hoping to hear but I think you also knew that this was the most likely outcome," an unnamed Biden official told the couple in an email that was shared with Politico. "I am sorry to be the bearer of this news and I am sorry I don't have other news."
Paid family leave only went into effect last October, meaning that there is no precedent for providing or extending parental leave for employees of a previous administration.
Although the Biden White House declined to comment on the issue, an unnamed administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity blamed the Trump administration for dragging its feet during the transition and therefore not giving the new administration enough time to consider the requests.
"We understand that a few Trump appointees, including a handful currently on parental leave, submitted last minute requests to remain on government payroll," the official said. "Because these requests were received so close to Inauguration Day … there was no way to implement an exception to the rule in a way that is fair to all outgoing appointees, including many who resigned as expected without making requests for extraordinary benefits."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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