In an exclusive interview with The Des Moines Register Sunday afternoon, Sanders pushed back on both of Clinton's arguments.
On taxes, Sanders said he does support a small payroll tax increase that would help fund three months of paid family medical leave for workers each year. That would allow new mothers to stay home with their newborns or children to take off time to care for ill parents, he said. Last spring, Clinton's successor in the Senate, Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced legislation on the matter. Sanders was one of 19 co-sponsors.
The payroll tax increase would amount to $1.38 per week for the median wage earner, Sanders said. While Clinton has made paid family medical leave a cornerstone of her campaign, Sanders said she has not offered much in the way of concrete plans. And he said she needs to take a stand on the legislation, which is stalled in Congress.
"What is her program? What does she intend to do other than talk about it?" Sanders said.
"If she thinks $1.38 a week is just too much to spend, let her explain that to the people of Iowa."