1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Congress should live by the rules it sets for everyone else. While Sen. McConnell collected $43,500 in taxpayer-funded pay during a 92-day absence — more than the average Kentucky worker earns in an entire year — most Americans would have lost their jobs or their health coverage for missing a single week of work. That double standard is indefensible. I want the same healthcare and paid leave protections that members of Congress enjoy. The average income in Kentucky is $35,821 a year. McConnell made more than that in three months of not showing up. His staff collected nearly $900,000 in that same window. Meanwhile, my family has to fight for every sick day and worry about losing coverage if something goes wrong. Congress has insulated itself from the consequences ordinary workers face every day, and that needs to end. Pass legislation that extends congressional-level healthcare and leave benefits to working Americans. If these benefits are good enough to protect a senator through a months-long medical absence, they're good enough for the rest of us.