Friend,

When I had my first child, my Molly, I only had six weeks of maternity leave. At the time, I was serving in the U.S. Air Force as an anti-ballistic missile defense engineer. There was a six-month waiting list for child care on the base in Boston where I was stationed. It's an expensive area, so my salary couldn't cover child care in the civilian sector.

The expectation was that most people on active duty were men, and the spouses were women who would be taking care of their children. Obviously, that wasn't my situation. I knew things weren't going to work, so I made the difficult decision to leave the Air Force, go to grad school, and make it work in the civilian sector.

My story isn't a unique one. Those policies are still the same. So I'm working tirelessly in Congress to change them.

I was so proud to write and lead landmark legislation that secured 12 weeks of paid leave for federal workers – the first federally funded paid family leave policy that now helps millions of Americans. I was also proud to help pass the American Rescue Plan, which included paid sick and family leave, both of which I staunchly advocated for.

But this work isn't done until no American has to choose between building their career and building a family or caring for a sick loved one, so it's important for me to know if you're with me on this. I'm looking for another 21 responses from this team before midnight, so please, tell me:

Thanks so much for letting me know where you stand on this issue. I appreciate your input.

There is work to be done,

Chrissy