Rep. David Trone Highlights Need to Invest in Caregivers During Virtual Conversation with AARP Representative
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2021
Contact: Hannah Muldavin, Hannah.Muldavin@mail.house.gov
Rep. David Trone Highlights Need to Invest in Caregivers During Virtual Conversation with AARP Representative
WASHINGTON — Today, Representative David Trone (MD-06) hosted a virtual conversation with AARP’s Lead Advocacy Volunteer Karen Kalla as Congress continues to work with President Biden to pass the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan. If passed, these bills will make unprecedented investments in our children and families resulting in higher wages, good-paying jobs, and overall economic growth. You can watch the conversation here.
During their recorded conversation, the two discussed how the American Families Plan will create a comprehensive Paid Family Medical Leave Program, finally bringing the United States on par with other developed countries. Meaning that when workers need to care for a sick family member or a newborn, they will be able to take leave without having to worry about providing for their families. According to the AARP, one in five retirees left the workforce to care for an ill family member and nearly 68 percent of caregivers make work accommodations so that they can tend to their sick relatives. The result is that both the economy and those who need caregivers suffer. We must ensure that our workers have the proper benefits they need so that they don’t have to choose between their job and their loved ones.
“We must invest in our country’s infrastructure, and this doesn’t just mean roads and bridges, this means people. Expanding access to community-based care for aging relatives and people with disabilities is long overdue,” said Representative Trone. “When people are paid a living wage and have access to the benefits they deserve, they are healthier, happier, and better workers. President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan will help turn this into a reality.”
“Investing in caregivers is investing in the quality of life for all of us. President Biden often says we are a compassionate people, we are a caring country, and how we treat each and every individual is a reflection of who we are. Many caregivers give up their own career, as you know, in order to stay home and take care of loved ones. And they do so at great expense to themselves, and their futures, and their families, and to our communitie,” said Karen Kalla. “[Caregivers] should be compensated fairly and with a living wage, they should have the ability to take time off with paid leave, just as those who are working in an office building or somewhere, they get paid leave, they get health care, because the demands of being a caregiver is so strenuous, emotionally and physically in every way.”
Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees in the 117th Congress and previously served on the Education and Labor and Foreign Affairs Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the mental health and addiction crises, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.
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