US only industrialized country not to provide moms with paid leave

Donald Trump set himself apart from other Republicans during the campaign by pledging to guarantee paid maternity leave for working mothers.

"We can provide six weeks of paid maternity leave to any mother with a newborn child whose employer does not provide the benefit," he said at a campaign rally.

His plan, announced in September, would give new moms six weeks of paid leave if they do not already get that benefit from their employers. It came as part of a list of several proposals designed to aid working parents.

WHY HE'S PROMISING IT

The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee paid leave for new parents. Only 12 percent of private-sector workers have paid family leave through their employers, according to the Department of Labor.

The proposal helped Trump appeal to women — particularly as his daughter, Ivanka, was a major advocate for his childcare proposals on the campaign trail.

"As a mother myself, of three young children, I know how hard it is to work while raising a family," she said at the 2016 Republican National Convention. "And I also know that I'm far more fortunate than most. American families need relief."

HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST

Trump says the benefit will be paid out of the existing Unemployment Insurance Fund, and his team estimates it will cost $2.5 billion annually, with an average weekly benefit of $300 to the mothers.

An analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a budget hawk think tank, determined that Trump's paid maternity leave program would cost about $50 billion over 10 years.

Trump plans to weed out unemployment fraud so the new program won't come at any additional cost. In 2015, the Federal-State Unemployment Insurance program paid out an estimated $3.5 billion in fraudulent payments, according to the Department of Labor. Trump hasn't specified how he would eliminate fraud.

To pay for his entire child care platform, he also cites his proposed "pro-growth" tax, trade and regulatory reforms.

WHAT'S STANDING IN HIS WAY

Trump is likely to face some pushback from both sides of the aisle on ideological grounds.

Some Democrats and family policy advocates have criticized Trump's plan for only applying to women who give birth, not fathers or other non-traditional parents. His plan is also half of what Hillary Clinton proposed: 12 weeks paid leave.

And some Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, are opposed to federally mandated paid leave out of concern that it would expand federal spending and create more expenses for businesses.