Martini and Gonzalez launch PAC for caregivers

A Republican crisis consultant and a Democratic socialist activist have formed Caregivers United for Equity, a new political action committee focused on caregiver pay, benefits and legal rights in New York. The group wants changes to probate law, hospital rules and tax policy as family caregiving strains more workers and older Americans live longer.

Why it matters: - Caregivers United for Equity wants to push caregiving into the center of New York health and tax policy. - The PAC argues family caregivers should be treated as part of the healthcare system, not as an afterthought. - The launch lands as the U.S. population ages and more workers face lost income, job disruption and emotional strain while caring for relatives.

What happened: - Christopher Bastardi Martini, a Republican crisis and public affairs consultant, and Elizabeth Gonzalez, a Democratic socialist activist, launched Caregivers United for Equity. - The two have known each other since seventh grade and started their junior high school environmental club in 1995. - The PAC is based in Brooklyn. - Martini and Gonzalez both have personal caregiving experience with relatives.

The details: - Martini cared for his grandmother for years before she entered a rehabilitation facility and later died. - Martini also cared for an aunt who had several strokes in a short period and became bedridden. - Martini moved in with his aunt in December 2024 and remained in Brooklyn after her death. - Gonzalez cared for her mother, who had afib neuralgia and Alzheimer’s disease, until her death in May. - Martini said caregiving interrupted his ability to run and grow a business and meet obligations. - Gonzalez said the country is facing a caregiving crisis as the Baby Boomer generation ages. - The PAC says even hospice patients are living longer, with average hospice stays up nearly 10% between 2010 and 2022. - The group says the Family and Medical Leave Act helps with job security but is not enough. - The PAC wants New York to view caregivers as healthcare infrastructure. - The platform calls for changes to New York probate laws, hospital mandates and a substantial income tax credit. - The PAC also wants a caregiver to be able to claim a greater share of an estate when that person provided the caretaking. - The platform proposes trust addendums that could adjust inheritance allocations based on financial records showing caregiving losses. - The PAC wants local caregiver education programs covering rights under FMLA and stress-reduction support. - The platform calls for a substantial tax credit that is larger than the Earned Income Tax Credit but smaller in scope, because caregiving is temporary but often costly. - The group directs readers to more information.

Between the lines: - The launch pairs two people from opposite ends of the political spectrum around a shared personal issue, which may help the PAC frame caregiving as a bipartisan concern. - The estate and trust proposals suggest the group is aiming beyond workplace support and into inheritance law, a more unusual and potentially contentious policy lane. - The emphasis on compensation signals a broader argument that caregiving creates measurable economic loss, not just unpaid family duty.

What's next: - Caregivers United for Equity says it will press for state-level changes in New York on probate, hospitals and tax relief. - The group is positioning caregiving rights as a policy fight that could be codified in state law if lawmakers are willing to negotiate across ideological lines.

The bottom line: - The new PAC is trying to turn caregiving from a private family burden into a public policy issue with legal and financial remedies.