Ivanka Trump opted for a ladylike navy blouse and a calf-length white skirt for a meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday afternoon.
The 36-year-old first daughter was visiting the Rayburn House Office Building to push for senators to pass a bill to modernize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act, which was last reauthorized in 2006.
Ivanka was seen strolling the hallway of the Capitol Hill building in a navy and white blouse and a floaty white midi-skirt by Georgia Alice.
Busy: Ivanka Trump, 36, was seen chatting on her cellphone while heading to a meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday
Good day: The first daughter had a smiled on her face as she breezed through the hallway in the Rayburn House Office Building
She topped off the look with a pair of navy blue pointed-toe pumps and a white handbag that she carried with her left hand.
The White House senior adviser was chatting on her cellphone on her way to the meeting, and at one point, she had a bright smile on her face.
Her long blonde hair was loose around her shoulders, and she opted for natural-looking make-up.
Ivanka later took to Instagram to share a photo of herself posed with a group of people during the meeting.
‘Back on the Hill today pushing Perkins Career + Technical Education,’ she captioned the image. ‘Looking forward to getting this important bill over the 1 yard line and to the President’s desk! #workforce #PerkinsCTE.’
Work: Ivanka is pushing for senators to pass a bill to modernize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act, which was last reauthorized in 2006
Ladylike look: Ivanka donned a navy and white blouse and a floaty white midi-skirt by Georgia Alice for the meeting
Added touch: The White House senior adviser carried a white handbag in her left hand
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) passed an update to the CTE Act on June 26, and the Trump administration has entrusted Ivanka to advocate for the bipartisan bill.
The goal of the reauthorization is to increase access to career and technical education programs and improve them to better prepare students for 21st century jobs.
On Wednesday, Ivanka attended a bipartisan hearing on paid family leave, which was held in front of a Senate Commitee on Finance.
The senior adviser is calling for bipartisan support of a paid family leave policy, and while both parties agree on its importance, there is still little consensus on how to achieve it.
‘Back on the hill’: Ivanka later took to Instagram to share a photo of herself posed with a group of people during the meeting
Early bird: Ivanka was seen leaving her Washington, D.C. home from her garage on Thursday morning at about 9:30 a.m.
After the hearing, Ivanka spoke with Refinery29 in the hallway of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, pointing out that the U.S. is the only industrialized country that fails to offer a federal paid leave policy.
‘My preference is to go beyond parental leave,’ she said. ‘But…right now we are at zero weeks of paid leave. We don’t have parental, we don’t have caregiving. So we have to move off that mark — it’s been 25 years since FMLA was passed.’
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which was passed in 1993, requires covered employers to provide eligible employees with unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons.
However, the act only applies to private-sector employers that have 50 or more employees.
Her cause: On Wednesday, Ivanka attended a bipartisan hearing on paid family leave, which was held in front of a Senate Commitee on Finance
Catching up: Representative Peter King (L) and Senator Bill Casey (R) are pictured speaking with Ivanka ahead of the hearing
Democrats are pushing for the 2013 FAMILY Act that was co-sponsored by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
The plan would impose a payroll tax to provide workers with a portion of their wages for up to 12 weeks to deal with one’s own health conditions, including pregnancy and childbirth, as well as caregiving for a sick parent, spouse, domestic partner, or child.
Republicans refuse to support the FAMILY Act, and Ivanka has been working closely with Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio on a plan that would allow parents with newborns or adopted babies to dip into their Social Security benefits for ‘paid’ leave.
The plan, based on a proposal from a group called the Independent Women’s Forum, would force people to delay their retirement plans and reduce their future retirement benefits.
Controversial plan: Ivanka has been working closely with Senator Marco Rubio (not pictured) on a plan that would allow new parents to dip into their Social Security benefits for ‘paid’ leave
Divided parties: Democrats are pushing for the 2013 FAMILY Act, which was co-sponsored by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (pictured) and offers 12 weeks of paid family leave
Critics of the plan also argue that the premature draining of the funds would undermine public support of Social Security.
‘To make progress and advance legislation that we can sign into law, we need to bring both sides together to discuss the merits of different policy proposals and ultimately bridge the differences. And I’m hopeful that this was a step in the right direction,’ Ivanka told Refinery29.
Gillibrand also spoke with the outlet about paid parental leave while pointing out the narrow scope of the Republican’s plan.
‘Every family in America, every worker in America, is going to have a time in their life when they need to take care of a loved one, whether it’s a new child, a sick child, a parent who’s dying, or a spouse who’s sick,’ she said.
‘And unfortunately today, too many people have to make that choice, that very tough choice, between a paycheck, a job, and caring for their loved ones. So we need to make sure that we have a paid leave plan that’s comprehensive and that covers all workers.’