Dinner in DC: Meghan Markle Reportedly to Be Invited to Advocate For Paid Leave Among Women Senators

Paid leave has been returned to Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda due to the "urging of many members of the caucus" after it was earlier ditched for the sake of cutting costs so that moderate Democratic lawmakers would support the ambitious spending bill.

The Duchess of Sussex, who has recently stepped into the spotlight as an advocate of paid family leave for Americans, will apparently have a platform of female US senators to listen to her while they enjoy a bipartisan dinner in Washington, DC.

It is Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who told The 19th that she plans to invite Markle to this dinner so that the duchess has an opportunity to deliver her point to the women senators. She decided to do that after Markle personally called her to discuss the issue.

“I could hear how sincere she was about advocacy”, Gillibrand told The 19th.

She also gave Meghan several numbers of her Republican colleagues - a move the duchess immediately took advantage of, reportedly calling two female GOP senators - Shelley Moore Capito and Susan Collins - to promote paid family leave.

The dinner, which Markle is now apparently expected to attend, will be hosted by Gillibrand in the coming month, per the outlet. The tradition of female senators gathering together to have dinner was renewed by Vice President Kamala Harris this year. According to Gillibrand, Republican Senator from Nebraska Deb Fisher is “delighted and looking forward to that conversation" with Markle.

Gillibrand herself is a vocal advocate of the paid family leave idea. After the proposal has been returned to the Build Back Better agenda (which is yet to be voted on by the House Democrats), the Senator said that the "fight isn't over until the ink on the bill is dry."

"This is a critical moment, and we need to dig deep. Stand up, speak out, and share your stories. Your voices are the most powerful tool you have", she asserted.

Earlier, Joe Biden removed paid leave from his spending proposals to cajole moderate Democrats to support his agenda.

Meghan Markle, in her turn, appears to have ramped up her political activism in the United States, where she has spent about a year. However, her activities have already irritated some Republicans, particularly Representative Jason Smith, who argues that Markle should first drop "the Duchess" from her title if she wants to keep lobbying Congress.