DC built the country’s strongest Universal Paid Leave law. Now the Mayor’s FY27 budget would gut it — freezing benefits for a year, cutting medical leave from 12 weeks to 8, family leave from 12 to 6, and capping the maximum benefit at $1,000/week.
If it passes, DC becomes the first place in the country to roll back its paid leave law. Every other state is watching.
These are the voices of DC residents who testified before the Council on May 13 and 14, 2026.
Tell the DC Council to reject the cuts →
Kimberly Mitchell — Ward 7 resident, UFCW Local 400
Written Testimony Submitted to the Committee of the Whole: May 13, 2026 Hearing
Regarding the Mayor’s Proposed Cuts to DC’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program Submitted by: Kimberly Mitchell, Ward 7 Resident
As a UFCW Local 400 member and employee at Macy’s, I helped advocate for the passage of the DC Universal Paid Leave Law, believing people needed paid time off for serious illness, new babies, or caring for sick family members. I was excited when the law passed, but two years ago, I had a terrible car accident and suddenly needed this critical law myself. I managed to turn the car off with a broken wrist as a person pulled me from the wreckage just before the tow truck and ambulance arrived.
In a flash, I had a broken wrist, a broken leg, had been robbed and was in unbearable pain. The thing about a devastating crisis like this is that you go from feeling fine, having everyday problems and then out of nowhere – a month of hospitalization, several surgeries later and job loss. This is why a robust paid leave policy with a generous number of weeks and pay is so crucial. You just never know what is going to happen.
At the hospital, they barely wanted to treat me – thank goodness for a nurse who advocated for me so I could get the treatment I needed. I was in the hospital for 30 days initially, then rehab. I couldn’t walk for 3 months. I was let go from Macy’s and lost all the benefits due to insufficient hours. In the midst of it all, I was reminded of the DC Paid Leave Law which provided 12 weeks of income. Without it I would have had a hard time getting food, paying bills and supporting my daughter and granddaughter.
I really needed more than 12 weeks but was grateful for what I got. It also helped that they averaged the past quarters which provided a decent replacement wage. The community members like my union – UFCW, and Martha’s Table also helped me so much. But it was the DC Paid Leave program that helped me to survive the early days of my recovery.
I returned to work a year after this horrific accident. So much has changed but I’m more clear than ever about a few things: First – DC Paid Leave saved my family – at a critical time. I can’t imagine what would have happened without it. Second – everyone should have paid leave and right now we know that less than 25% of the country can take this time with pay – those without paid leave sacrifice their jobs, income, food, childcare, health – everything. It is truly an essential, lifesaving benefit.
This is what I fail to understand about the Mayor’s proposed budget which calls for drastic cuts to the paid leave benefit. No benefits will be paid in FY 2027 and when they resume in 2028, the number of weeks a person can use is reduced from 12 weeks to 8 weeks for medical leave and; 6 weeks for family leave. As helpful as paid leave was for me, I needed more time, not less. And we all know that a doctor must approve the amount of time using medical standards, not mayoral.
The other issue is that after freezing the paid leave policy for an entire year, the Mayor proposes capping the benefit at $1000 per month. Given the rate of expenses and cost of living, the benefit will lose value over time and fail to keep up with the cost of inflation.
I don’t get it. People aren’t going to stop having medical problems over the next year. Instead, workers—many of whom already are one paycheck away from missing rent or other bills, like I was – will not have this critical lifeline when they are unable to work due to long-term illness or injury. And they may not be able to afford to take time off work to provide needed care for a loved one.
This is the wrong time to wreck a program that actually works for DC. I hope the Council realizes this and avoids gutting a program that is a lifeline for working families.
Thank you for your consideration,
Kimberly Mitchell
Carol Joyner — Ward 4 resident, Executive Director of Family Values @ Work Action
To: District of Columbia City Council, May 14, 2026 Committee of the Whole
From: Carol Joyner,Ward 4 Resident, Executive Director of Family Values@Work Action
Written Testimony:in DC Universal Paid Leave Law (UPL) Provisions
Dear Chairman Mendelsohn, Ward 4 Councilmember George and all DC Councilmembers,
My name is Carol Joyner, and I’m a Ward 4 resident. I love the District and was unbelievably proud of “us” when after 5 years of organizing and lobbying we actually implemented the DC Universal Paid Leave (UPL) law that went into effect at the height of the pandemic. In 2020, UPL saved lives and permitted people to recover and care for loved ones. At the time, many people in DC leadership said, “We can’t build and run a new program; DC can’t do big things.” As a Black woman, in a significantly Black and Brown city – I found this unfounded sentiment to be personally insulting and categorically wrong. We did it and many have benefited from taking leave even while the same “naysayers” are working to undermine the law. In fact, the Mayor’s FY2027 budget proposal freezes and then guts the program. When I think of her current budget proposal, the saying that comes to mind is, “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory”.
Last year the Mayor proposed to weaken the program by cutting the payroll tax and ultimately making the program insolvent. This year, in the FY 2027 proposed budget, the Mayor aims for a more direct hit on working families. The current scheme includes freezing the paid leave benefits completely for a year and then reinstating a smaller, less generous program. The impact will be devastating for people planning to have children in 2027; those in the sandwich generation who care for children and elderly loved ones; and anyone who has an accident, surgery or other unexpected medical issue that requires recovery.
- The proposed benefit pause in FY2027, and then planned reduction in FY2028 are considered while employers are paying the same amount of tax (0.75%) but getting less of a benefit for their employees. Since the Paid Leave program has already existed for years, many employers have built this leave into their benefits packages or collective bargaining agreements. In the coming year, employers will be forced to cut benefits or absorb the cost of up to $1190 per week of family and medical leave taken to maintain level benefits. This at the same time that they continue to pay at the same tax rate. Under the current proposal, less than 15% of the paid leave taxes paid by employers will actually go to fund the paid leave program. This is called “raiding the paid leave fund”.
- Permanently capping the maximum benefit at $1000/week immediately cuts the benefits by nearly 20% and devalues the benefit for DC workers over time. This cut is especially difficult to comprehend since inflation is on the rise with affordability a growing problem for all. The cost of food, gas, childcare, and more have increased – due to Trump’s egregious policies. Cuts to the UPL program must be seen in the context of national inflation.
- The Administration is using the “average amount of time used” as a way to cut the medical benefit from 12 – 8 weeks and the family care benefit from 12 – 6 weeks. This is not only a gut punch for working families in DC but sets a dangerous precedent for paid leave nationally.
- The number of weeks in paid medical and family leave claims are determined by medical professionals; there are very strict safeguards built into the DCUPL regulations that prevent people from overusing the program. That is why the agency might see lower averages for caregiving and medical leave, compared to parental (new baby) leave. If the restrictions and safeguards weren’t as stringent, people might take more time – the time they actually need to recover.
- A teenager tears their ACL, a spouse is involved in a car accident requiring multiple surgeries to survive, an elderly parent has a stroke or heart attack – we hear of these situations every day. Each of these people would likely require more time for healing. Twelve weeks is a floor that we’ve become used to – not everyone will need all 12 weeks but when you do, time to recover or care for someone is critical.
The proposed changes to the completely solvent UPL fund undermines the commitment that DC has made to families and the workforce. The Council should reject the proposed changes and ensure that the paid leave fund is used exclusively for its intended purpose. The Council should also review the obstacles in DC UPL regulations that prevent more expansive use for medical care.
Whether it’s cuts to the Pay Equity Fund for childcare, gutting housing programs or simply aligning herself with an authoritarian federal regime the Mayor is not serving DC residents well. In these moments, we must turn to the Council to ask for reasonable responses to our current political crisis. As a DC resident I ask that you not put the federal burden on our working families.
Thank you for your consideration of this critical matter.
Carol Joyner,
Ward 4 Resident and Executive Director, Family Values@Work Action
Take action
The Mayor’s proposed cuts are still in negotiation. The Council will be voting in the coming weeks.