DNC Women’s Media Director Elizabeth Renda released the following statement after New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu referred to paid family leave as “vacation” for the second time:

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. This is the second time Chris Sununu has ‘misspoken’ and callously referred to paid family leave as ‘vacation.’ We don’t have to wonder where he stands on this issue – he’s made it clear. Sununu is dangerously out of touch with New Hampshire’s women and working families, and the Granite State deserves better.

“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 like Molly Kelly 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.”