Melinda French Gates is reportedly meeting with White House officials and lawmakers to discuss paid leave for workers and other issues

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Melinda French Gates is reportedly meeting with White House officials and lawmakers to discuss paid leave for workers and other issues
Gates Foundation Co-Chair Melinda Gates participates in a panel discussion during the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings April 20, 2017Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
  • Melinda French Gates is meeting with Biden officials and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, advisors told Axios.
  • She's set to meet lawmakers to discuss issues such as paid leave, the advisors said.
  • French Gates visited the White House on Monday to meet the chief of staff, Ron Klain, Axios said.
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Melinda French Gates is set to meet with Biden administration officials and lawmakers this week to discuss issues such as paid leave, Axios reported on Tuesday.

The billionaire and philanthropist is expected to go to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with senators including Patty Murray of Washington, French Gates' home state, Axios reported, citing unnamed advisors.

Axios reported that French Gates, who announced her divorce from Bill Gates in May, visited the White House on Monday to meet Ron Klain, the chief of staff; Susan Rice, the domestic-policy advisor; and other senior administration officials.

French Gates has an investment firm called Pivotal Ventures that aims to advance social progress in the US.

The company, which French Gates founded in 2015, advocates policies about paid leave and childcare, which are part of President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan.

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Paid leave allows workers to take time off without missing a paycheck. French Gates has said it's important for Congress to expand paid family and medical leave in the US, especially as the economy recovers from the pandemic.

Biden's American Families Plan is designed to offer more affordable childcare and boost the pay of childcare workers. The White House has estimated that it could benefit 5 million children in the US.

French Gates' representatives didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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