Meghan Markle Has Been Cold Calling Senators to Advocate for Paid Family Leave

Meghan Markle’s passionate push for paid family leave in the United States continues. After writing an open letter asking Congress about paid family leave last month, Markle is cold calling senators of both parties to advocate for the issue. 

Democrats are moving to add paid family leave to a social spending and climate policy bill. The United States is currently one of the few countries without a paid family leave program. 

Senator Shelley Moore Capo, a Republican of West Virginia, recalled answering a call she assumed to be a standard work call, only to find out the Duchess of Sussex was on the other line. 

“I’m in my car. I’m driving. It says caller ID blocked. Honestly … I thought it was Sen. Manchin. His calls come in blocked. And she goes ‘Sen. Capito?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex,’” Capo said, per Politico. “I couldn’t figure out how she got my number.” 

Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, also got a call from Meghan Markle. According to Politico reporter Maianne LeVine, Collins said, “Much to my surprise, she called me on my private line, and she introduced herself as the Duchess of Sussex, which is kind of ironic.”

It turns out, Markle got the numbers from Democratic senator Kristen Gilibrand of New York. “She wants to be part of a working group to work on paid leave long term, and she’s going to be. Whether this comes to fruition now or later, she’ll be part of a group of women that hopefully will work on paid leave together,” Gilibrand said.

In October, Meghan Markle wrote a letter to Congress urging it to pass parental leave policies. “Paid leave should be a national right, rather than a patchwork option limited to those whose employers have policies in place, or those who live in one of the few states where a leave program exists,”  Markle wrote. “This is about putting families above politics.”