DNC Women’s Media Director Elizabeth Renda released the following statement on New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu referring to paid family leave as “vacation”:

“Chris Sununu’s reference to paid family leave as ‘vacation’ demonstrates exactly how out-of-touch the governor is with women and working families. Paid family leave exists for life-altering experiences like the birth of a child or a serious illness, and to dismiss these policies as ‘vacation’ is ludicrous. Women represent the vast majority of caregivers in the United States, and paid family leave allows them to remain in the workforce as breadwinners in their families. Sununu’s comments are blatantly disrespectful to working women and families, but sadly, they come as no surprise. The governor claimed to ‘absolutely’ support paid leave during his campaign, only to kill the paid family leave bill that passed the New Hampshire House after he took office.

“Sununu and his Republican colleagues continue to turn their backs on working families by disparaging paid family leave and advocating for policies like the GOP tax scam, which gives large corporations and the ultra-wealthy a tax break at the expense of the middle class. Meanwhile, Democrats are fighting to make life easier for working families, not harder, and we’re proud that fighting for paid family leave for women and caregivers is a critical tenet of our platform.”