Biden is being a hardass to Trump aides...not letting them extend their parental leave

[Demovictory9]

Trump aides made a late request to Team Biden to extend their parental leave. They said no.
The Trump political appointees said they were surprised they were turned down. The White House says they shouldn’t have been.


https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/02/parental-leave-trump-aides-465302

After four years in the Trump administration, Vanessa Ambrosini was looking forward to three months of parental leave when she and her husband welcomed a baby a week before Christmas. The Commerce Department’s human resources office had given her approval for it. But then she was surprised to find out the benefit was no longer available because of the change in administration.

“I got completely screwed,” she said in an interview. “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.”


Ambrosini is among a number of ex-Trump political officials who lost their parental leave when Joe Biden was sworn into office. It’s a byproduct of the field they’re in: Their boss (the president) may have been the one let go, but his departure has meant that they, too, lose their jobs and benefits. Still, they argue that the Biden administration should have honored their leave by keeping them on payroll until the end of it — a request that, emails reviewed by POLITICO show, the Biden transition did not grant.


The Biden White House declined to speak about the issue on record. Instead, an official noted anonymously that political appointees “do not enjoy the promise of federal employment past the end of the administration in which they choose to serve.” The official blamed the fact that the Trump administration dragged its heels on a quick and orderly transition as a reason why some on his team were caught off guard by the benefits ending.

[woodsprite]

1. These people affected were appointees, not regular Federal employees.

Appointees usually resign their appointments when a new admin comes in. They should have proactively resigned, then negotiated with the new admin.

[arlyellowdog]

2. That was absurd

Politico is ridiculous. At the end of most Administrative, political appointees face reality after the elections. No sympathy for Trump political appointees. You’re fired.

[bottomofthehill]

17. I cry bullshit

Their employment ended on Jan 2021, their employment is based on the administration. At that point, the annual leave is bought out and any sick time should have been used up. How they have known since Election Day that Jan 20 was their last day and has 60 plus days to “burn” sick leave.

Too fucking bad, not so sad.

[usaf-vet]

32. Agreed! Politico is ridiculous. Where they raising a ruckus when tRump was separating families?

You reap what you sow.

Anyone who would choose to work for the former administration should have realized that tRump ONLY cares about tRump.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Wonder if this applies to Stephen Miller.

Plus, maybe the appointees didn't resign b/c they were counting on January 6 to extend their tenure.

[Hekate]

9. Of course it does. Every admin gets to make hundreds, if not thousands, of appointments. All....

All are at-will and serve at a maximum for the length of the term of the POTUS who brought them on. Some people here fretted that Trump’s Cabinet wouldn’t leave, but that’s nonsense. Any appointee who shared Trump’s belief that they would be staying in the WH after he lost the election by 7 million votes was as deluded as he was and deserves what they get, which is bupkis from Biden.

Civil Service employees, on the other hand, are non-political merit hires who plan on a long career in government service.

[Croney]

20. Yep, they were gleefully supporting whatever January 6 might bring about.

[jaxexpat]

28. I didn't know Miller was expecting. He wasn't even showing.

[JI7]

4. Trump screwed over the country every fucking day. Fuck these people and fuck the media if they don't

make it clear that this always happens with political employees.

[ResistantAmerican17]

25. You J, have cut the bullshit and honed in on the point!! Bravo

[abqtommy]

5. Wow! I guess it's true and elections really do have consequences!

[Dorian Gray]

6. In moments of softness

I think that "yeah, sure. Everyone should have parental leave. Biden could have led the way here."

Then I remember that Stephen Miller and his wife are two fo the people affected here... and NOPE!

[Demsrule86]

47. The sad truth is these greedy people would gladly take it and then when back in power deny it

others. Most are entitled assholes.

[Dorian Gray]

50. totally agree

[we can do it]

7. Buh bye. Call the waaaambulance.

[dsc]

8. reading the people being quoted in this article is a real trip

talk about a complete lack of self awareness.

[handmade34]

10. title is misleading...

makes it sound like Biden won't provide "parental leave"... instead it is about people that no longer have their job because of administration change, and therefor the benefits of said job they no longer have

[arlyellowdog]

13. Exactly!!!!

I can’t get any maternity leave either. True, I’m 70 and retired.

[True Blue American]

26. LOL

I did not get any when I needed it either!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. tRumpers are same people who would work to deny parental leave benefits to "the little people". .nt

[SunSeeker]

12. They're traitors. No quarter!

We voted for a Democratic government and that's what we should get! No more RepubliQan grifters!

Thank you Joe!!

[Botany]

14. I suppose Joe & company would have been happy to give 'em maternal leave if Trump ....

... had not fought every single thing about a peaceful transfer of power to the new Biden/Harris
administration including trying to violently trying to overthrow the government and as petty as
sending all the W.H. staff home so Joe had none of the regular help when he got to the White House.

They should be mad @ Trump not Joe and Kamala.

[NurseJackie]

15. Politco headlines suck.

Trump aides made a late request to Team Biden to extend their parental leave. They said no.
The Trump political appointees said they were surprised they were turned down. The White House says they shouldn’t have been.

This is a hot mess. This is confusing and ambiguous and uses far to many words to convey a simple message.

Here:

Trump Aides' surprised at Team Biden's denial of request to extend parental leave. White House responds that they should not have been surprised.

Do the reporters write their own headlines and sub-heads? Or is that someone else's responsibility?

[Turin_C3PO]

38. Exactly.

For a second, I thought the White House was saying they shouldn’t have been turned down. Bad editing.

[ariadne0614]

16. It seems to me she's getting what she wants--an extended parental leave.

She doesn't have to return to work, and can stay home with her new baby as long as she wants. Did she think there would be a job waiting for her at the end of her leave? Am I being obtuse?

[Demovictory9]

36. She wants another 3 months of salary that comes w parental leave

[Demsrule86]

46. Many middle class people no longer get paid maternity leave. I don't know anyone who gets paid

paternity leave. My son and his lovely wife just had a baby (my first Granddaughter who is wonderful).He took unpaid leave. He is a saver and is on family leave right now. Thank you President Clinton.

[ariadne0614]

52. Silly me. I assumed her priority was being at home with her baby.

It didn't occur to me that paid parental leave was a thing yet. Back in the late 70s, the long-standing 6mos. unpaid maternity leave offered under my union contract was traded away. The airline I worked for was opposed to extending the benefit to fathers, as required in the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, so they took it away from mothers.

Thinking we were stupid, they lied about their real reason, and blamed it on Gloria Steinem and the feminist movement. Women who were out on maternity leave expecting 6 months of UNPAID leave with job protection, were suddenly called back to work. They had to either quit, or scramble for infant care. It's hard for me to feel sorry for anyone who works on behalf of ruthlessly persistent and regressive reThug policies.

Four decades later, and this is how far we've come.

[Snackshack]

18. Hey like DT said...

It’s a business, I’m a business man. I don’t want to be spending money on people standing around doing nothing...or something like that when asked why the quick response pandemic team was let go.


As my grandmother used to say. “Cry in one hand and pee in the other and see which one fills up first”. Not sure what the point of that was besides making a mess but I usually stopped crying.

[Bucky]

19. These knuckleheads REALLY believed Trump would have a second term

They were so confident that their ambitions were going to beat an actual election, that they didn't even plan for not having a job after January?

It takes a special kind of stupid to not even have basic survival instincts.

[Demsrule86]

45. And they served an administration who ripped babies from their mom's arms and were willing to

to starve children and others...no sympathy here for them. They served a monster and now they get a taste of what the rest of us suffered during Trump's murderous reign. Hubs and I were on unemployment and savings for almost a year...we were running out of money when he got a job. I am still unemployed. People including kids are without healthcare and going hungry right now thanks to Trump. I am glad Biden opened up the ACA again. I can't tell you the fear and panic we experienced as we stared into the abyss..

[SheltieLover]

21. I hope they all end up homeless

[My Pet Orangutan]

22. "A former DHS official and his wife wrote a letter on JAN. 13"

That's the thing - NONE of them made representations until the last two weeks.

Why? Because being good Trumpers, they did not accept Biden had won the election. Not unit after the riot.

Fuck 'em.

[NYC Liberal]

41. They probably still don't accept it.

[My Pet Orangutan]

42. No, but now they are virtually unemployable

in business and lobby outfits that are even half-way reputable.

[NYC Liberal]

43. Yep. I also read another article about Trumpers complaining about

nobody wanting to date them once they revealed their employer. Too bad, so sad.

[TNNurse]

23. Were they so delusional they thought

they still had jobs???

[DeminPennswoods]

24. Too funny coming from people who belong

to a party that generally opposes government and any expansion of benefits.

But maybe all the affected Trump staffers can write him a letter asking if he'll help support them financially in their time of need.

[LaMouffette]

27. Coming from the same people whose life mission was to destroy Obamacare and take health insurance

away from millions of Americans!

[mountain grammy]

29. As Bernie would say

Cry me a river.

[Johnny2X2X]

30. Trump not letting a peaceful transition happen is to blame

The Biden administration didn't have time to learn of this stuff, they appropriately terminated the employment of all appointees.

They were just trying to game the system for a few months more pay.

[BluesRunTheGame]

31. Why isn't Donald covering these benefits from his personal funds?

I thought he was rich.

[Flaleftist]

34. No more job, no more benefits. I can't get fired and then ask to use my leftover vacation time.

[Massacure]

48. That actually depends on the state

In some states, such as California, your employer must pay out your accrued vacation time when you leave the company.

That said I get where you are going. I kind of doubt California would consider parental leave an accrued benefit, and so a parental leave benefit could potentially end early if the parent left payroll before the benefit ended. The Toys R Us bankruptcy would be a perfect example of this - a parent's benefit would only last through the date they were laid off and/or their store closed. The parent would still be owed their remaining vacation in certain states though.

[samnsara]

35. we tried to warn them.......

[ismnotwasm]

37. I hate Politico

[roamer65]

39. Fire all of them.

If they haven’t been fired already.

[NYC Liberal]

40. They should write to Trump. I'm sure he'd be willing to help out

with all that money he has.

[Hotler]

44. Bootstraps, should have been prepared, get over it....... nt

[BGBD]

49. I got completely screwed," she said

Well, that's how you wound up in this mess to begin with.

[Bluepinky]

51. Cry 😢 me a river.

Now take your whining to someone who cares.

[treestar]

53. So he's not being a hardass

it's normal. Takes a Drumpf appointee to be that entitled.

[GaYellowDawg]

54. They helped put children in cages, and they're crying about parental leave.

Fuck 'em.