Penna Dexter

On the campaign trail, Candidate Trump unveiled a childcare proposal that included six weeks of guaranteed paid maternity leave. Back then no one expected anything close to this to get through the GOP House. But, as Washington Post columnist George Will points out, “limited government conservatism has become a persuasion without a party.”

The recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act adds a new tax credit for employers that provide paid family and medical leave benefits to employees. The Family and Medical Leave Act that’s been in place for 25 years, provides certain job protections for people taking leave but no requirement that this be paid leave.

George Will points out that even many conservatives support paid family leave “in the name of ‘family values,’ and because free stuff polls well.”

But someone will pay for this. George Will titles his column on this issue: “Paid maternity leave? Your baby will get the bill.”

He writes, “The debate will concern ways to disguise the benefit’s cost while requiring others to pay for it.”

One proposal is to pay for family leave through unemployment insurance. This would involve a new tax or an expanded payroll tax.

Another idea is to allow new parents, moms and dads, to collect a few weeks of social security payments while agreeing to have that amount chopped off of what they get when they’re eligible. A risky proposition on several levels.

What happened to the expectation that somebody in the household work so the family can support this child? Is this now “retrograde?” wonders George Will.

Some companies provide paid family leave for female employees and even male employees. It’s their choice and a good way to attract young workers. But the Left seeks to mandate this — temporarily settling for incentives like this tax credit.

We need to think long and hard before adding another entitlement to the list being funded by trillion-dollar deficits.