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Duchess Of Sussex May Have To Dial Down Her Campaigning After Cold Calls Anger US Senators

November 21, 2021

The Duchess of Sussex’s campaign for paid parental leave in America has hit a speedbump after her personal calls to US senators angered the politicians.

Meghan Markle phoned at least two senators out of the blue, introducing herself as Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and lobbied them to vote for guaranteed paid leave for new parents, in what was described as “the height of audacity” by someone close to the talks.

The US has no national paid parental leave program, and the Duchess, a mother-of-two, has made a number of high-profile political interventions on the issue in recent weeks. But they have not all been well received on Capitol Hill.

Her friend, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, is understood to have handed over the private phone numbers of as many as 10 Republican senators in a move that some consider a breach of protocol.

"The talks to mandate paid family leave are stalled because Republican senators are angry that Meghan called them. They thought it was the height of audacity," one source told the Telegraph"Senator Collins couldn't believe Meghan used her title Duchess of Sussex during the call. She said 'I care more about what the people of Maine think,'" they added, referring to Susan Collins, the Republican senator for Maine.

On Thursday, the Duchess brought up her campaign in an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show.

She said the US “is the only country in the world that does not have a paid federal family leave programme,” adding: “I will do everything I can to make sure we can implement that for people.”

Last month, she wrote a 1,010-word letter on headed notepaper to Chuck Schumer, the US senator, and Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of US House of Representatives, saying: "With stakes this high none of us can afford to let apathy win.

“If we’re going to create a new era of family first policies, let’s make sure that includes a strong paid leave program for every American that’s guaranteed, accessible, and encouraged without stigma or penalty.

“I know how politically charged things can, and have, become. But this isn’t about Right or Left, it’s about right or wrong. This is about putting families above politics.”

On Friday, the policy was part of a $1.9 trillion spending bill which passed the House of Representatives. However, it could be cut from the final bill because it does not have the support of a number of senators, including Democrat Joe Manchin.

"I don't think it belongs in the bill," he told CNN.


Source: Yahoo News
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mage Source: SKY NEWS