Posted on 10/18/2021 4:53:11 AM PDT by Kaslin
While the nation faces yet another crisis, this time to do with transportation, it happens to be coming at a time when Sec. Pete Buttigieg is on paternity leave.
The issue is not so much that he took paid family leave to bond with his newborn adopted children--at least it shouldn't be. The issue is we're just now hearing about it, and during a crisis. "Oh, So That’s What Pete Buttigieg Has Been Doing," Katie's article was aptly titled, citing insight from POLITICO Playbook.
Writing "Can Pete Buttigieg Have It All?," for the Thursday "West Wing Playbook," Alex Thompson and Tina Sfondeles acknowledgde that the secretary "has been MIA."
Further down they wrote:
They didn’t previously announce it, but Buttigieg’s office told West Wing Playbook that the secretary has actually been on paid leave since mid-August to spend time with his husband, Chasten, and their two newborn babies.
Not only did the office not "previously announce" something that happened two months ago, but the office also isn't forthcoming about it, period:
In the past, Cabinet secretaries felt compelled to come back sooner. Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development JULIÁN CASTRO took about a “week or so” of leave after his child was born, his spokesperson told us.In part, that’s because Cabinet secretaries are not eligible for the same paid family leave benefits that federal workers are. “Individuals in the executive branch who are appointed by the President to positions in the Executive Schedule are not covered by the leave system,” a spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management said. “They do not earn leave and serve at the pleasure of the President. The President can choose to allow him to take time off.”
Asked if Biden approved the leave, a White House official didn’t directly answer but said in a statement that “Pete’s been a key member of the team since Day One, and has been critical as we shepherd the President’s agenda across the finish line. We’re overjoyed for him and Chasten, and believe every American should have access to paid family leave.”
Now, there will be people making this about criticizing paid family leave. Fox News host Tucker Carlson made headlines for bringing up "chestfeeding." On Sunday's edition of CNN's "State of the Union," Buttigieg was asked by host Jake Tapper about it:
BUTTIGIEG: As you might imagine, we're bottle-feeding, and doing it at all hours of the day and night. And I'm not going to apologize to Tucker Carlson or anyone else for taking care of my premature newborn infant twins.The work that we are doing is joyful, fulfilling, wonderful work. It's important work. And it's work that every American ought to be able to do when they welcome a new child into their family.
I campaigned on that. So did the president. The Build Back Better agenda includes provisions for paid family leave. And, by the way, we're pretty much the only country left that doesn't have some kind of national policy for paid leave.
I think it's down to us and Papua New Guinea. It is long past time to make it possible for every American mother and father to take care of their children when a new child arrives in the family.
It need not be a talking point from the Left that the United States needs to get on board with the rest of the world here when it comes to having a national policy in favor of paid family leave. It's smart and it's compassionate. It's also pro-life. So why are pro-abortion leftists pushing it, then? It should be a conservative talking point, especially for the sake of encouraging families.
In 2016 I wrote for Live Action about paid family leave from a pro-life perspective. For so many women who have abortions, finances tend to play a factor. Specifically, a Guttmacher Institute Study from 2005 found that 21 percent said they "can't leave job to take care of a baby."
In an opinion piece last month for The Washington Examiner, Madeline Fry Schultz asked "Why don’t conservative organizations offer more paid family leave?"
Even if he makes good points about family leave, we shouldn't let Buttigieg off the hook for job failures. When Tapper tried to ask the secretary why he didn't announce it, he demurred, naturally:
TAPPER: We're thrilled for your family. And we're happy that parental leave is a reality for so many in the U.S.Looking back, as a Cabinet secretary, why didn't you or the Department of Transportation make an official announcement when you went on parental leave? And why did you not appoint an acting secretary while you were away?
BUTTIGIEG: Well, so, the way this works is, there is a deputy secretary, Polly Trottenberg, who's doing phenomenal work and who, as deputy secretaries do, can fill in when a secretary is not available.
Now, look, even though I have been on maternity leave, and I'm proud of it, obviously, given the nature of my job, when you take a job like mine, you understand and accept that you're going to have to be available 24/7, depending on what's going on, and you're going to have to engage.
And I did, even if that meant taking a phone call or making a decision from a hospital room. But I am so thankful for the phenomenal work that my colleagues at the Department of Transportation have done and are doing. And I'm thankful to be part of an administration that is walking the walk on our family values.
This administration is full of gaslighting experts. Has Trottenberg actually been doing "phenomenal work," though? If Buttigieg really has been "available 24/7," why are we facing yet another crisis?
To allow the White House and paid family leave advocates to frame it this way and only this way amounts to deceiving the American people.
It takes 1 hour for a mother to learn how to be a mother. So far it takes close to 3 months for a man to become a mother.
“.. Pete Buttigieg is on paternity leave. ..”
Pete lives in the land of make believe - like any 8 year old girl.
For some reason the baby doesn't want to drink his Harvey Milk.
Pete Buttigig is having trouble wet nursing.
Two fags don’t deserve adoption rights period.
No, he does not DESERVE two babies, let alone paid family leave. Heterosexual couples could not be found for these babies? I call BS. These homosexual adoptions are sick.
This Vaseline receptacle Buttegg ran for President. So if he won, is he telling us he would have taken 2 months maternity leave 7 months into his 1st term? He probably would have because everything is “me me me me me” when it comes to leftists.
“If Buttigieg really has been “available 24/7,” why are we facing yet another crisis?”
It wouldn’t be any different then if he was working on it 18 hours a day. He is an incompetent. He is over his head. He doesn’t know what to do, and was only appointed to the position because of politics. As evidence, the things they do choose to do, act to things worse.
Pete needs to quit acting like he actually gave birth and needs to heal.
He and butthusband can get a nanny.
I am happy that two babies were adopted.
I do not have an issue if an employer voluntarily offers family leave (I oppose mandated leave).
I have a problem with 1) Nobody knew this was happening 2) Nobody seems to be in charge
1) is a media failing because they do not bother to ask questions of this administration. The media just accepts federal press releases.
2) the entire Biden admin is AWOL and nobody seems to be in charge. We know Biden cannot run the show. Harris is always missing and does not show up when tasked with things like the border. The Afghan pullout seems to have been directionless.
We are told that everything is running smoothly but the cockpit is empty.
The fact that Buttigieg took a couple months off before anyone noticed shows just how vital he is.
“Deserves” family leave. Good Heavens we’re doomed if conservative sites like Townhall use terms like that.
There is what you are entitled to, and there is what you are obligated to do. Sometimes, during a crisis, you are expected to make sacrifices.
On the other hand, I doubt that any good would have come from having Pete working during these past several months. In fact, things may have been worse.
???? I thought he was the maternity half of the confused entanglement?
It should really be IT LEAVE...
Anyone who believes this place is salvageable given instances like this with people saying it’ s ok are deluding themselves. Another example was the tranny attack on the girl in Va with people not only uncaring but covering it up! Elections stolen ring a bell? Put a fork in the splendid idea of the USA.
No, no he doesn’t…
No one deserves to be paid by the taxpayers to not work
He needs time off for writing the check.
No, he does not deserve “family leave”, he should be TERMINATED. Further, his perverted possession of adopted kids should be investigated and reversed. Taxpayers should not be paying for him to carry this all out.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.