Video: Kristan Hawkins discusses a fiscally responsible plan for paid family leave.

Despite the very real economic gains most Americans have begun to make under the helpful policies of President Trump, working families remain in a state of crisis both financially and socially.

Advocates have long backed a national mandate for paid parental leave in the U.S., but it looks increasingly like it may pass in the near future, in part due to support from Republicans and the business lobby.

On Tuesday, Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced the Child Rearing and Development Leave Empowerment Act, legislation that would for the first time provide universal access for all workers to paid parental leave.

Conservatives have long opposed the idea of government involvement in the provision of paid-leave benefits, recognizing its tremendous downsides, but the approach taken by Lee and Ernst avoids those downsides: It simply reforms an existing entitlement program so that people have greater flexibility and control over when they can access benefits.

As conservatives, it is part of our fundamental values to emphasize the importance of the family and the care of children.

Democrats have dominated discussions surrounding parental leave for decades. But Republicans are now poised to introduce a raft of new proposals in the coming weeks, reflecting the party’s effort to win back the suburban women it lost in the midterms.

Several Republicans senators and White House officials met on Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning to develop a pathway forward on a paid family leave plan, a top priority of President Donald Trump and an opportunity for a bipartisan populist victory for both sides in politics.

Along with the obvious social, and economic, changes that every new parent goes through, there are biological and psychological changes as well. Not only are new parents typically sleep-deprived during the first few months of their child's life, but they are often unprepared for the stress that goes with forming a new daily routine around the newborn infant.

The common refrain since the midterms has been that a divided Congress won’t or can’t get anything done. I disagree. The election results provide a unique opportunity to put the focus squarely on working families, and one policy with a real chance is paid family leave.

Strong, stable, and thriving families are the building blocks of our society. When a couple chooses to start or grow their family, they need all the support they can get.

Last month, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) introduced the Economic Security for New Parents Act, a fiscally-responsible paid-parental-leave plan that is good not only for working-class families but for the nation as a whole.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s paid family leave proposal has scrambled the usual alliances in American politics like few policies in recent memory. Rubio’s bipartisan Economic Security for New Parents Act, which he unveiled with Congresswoman Ann Wagner (D-MO), has drawn praise and fire from the Left and Right. Thanks to Ivanka Trump’s support, it has even brought Trump world together with Democrats.

It is time to put our pro-life and pro-family beliefs to action by supporting the “Economic Security for New Parents Act” just introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.).

I hope that I live long enough to see the day when women and children are fully valued for their critical role in the continuation and health of civilization. While every life requires a mother and father to begin, it is mothers who bear our future leaders and caretakers.

I hope that I live long enough to see the day when women and children are fully valued for their critical role in the continuation and health of civilization. While every life requires a mother and father to begin, it is mothers who bear our future leaders and caretakers.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has just introduced a flexible and fiscally responsible plan for new moms and dads, one that would be beneficial for many young families, including families like mine.