DEMOCRATIC WOMEN’S CAUCUS AND THE DEMOCRATIC POLICY AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE LEAD 84 CONGRESSWOMEN IN DEMANDING SENATE ACTION ON KEY LEGISLATION IMPACTING WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES
Congresswomen March to Senator McConnell’s Office, Deliver Letter Calling for Passage of Bipartisan VAWA, Paycheck Fairness, Raise the Wage Act and More More than 275 Bipartisan House Bills are Stuck in the Senate, Many Critical to Women’s Economic Security
WASHINGTON, DC – Co-Chairs of the Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC) Representatives Brenda L. Lawrence (MI-14), Lois Frankel (FL-21) and Jackie Speier (CA-14), Vice Chairs Representatives Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Deb Haaland (NM-01), and House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Co-Chair Debbie Dingell (MI-12) led 84 Congresswomen in a letter demanding Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to act on bipartisan legislation that benefits American women and their families. Several Congresswomen marched with the DWC and DPCC from the House Floor to Senator McConnell's office today and hand-delivered the letter, including: Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Katherine Clark (MA-5) and Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chair Rosa DeLauro (CT-3).
"House Democratic Women are not only fighting for the economic opportunity and the health of individuals, but we are also fighting for legislation that would empower women globally, combat the climate crisis, support women servicemembers and veterans, provide equality for all, and ensure women and families are able to live free from violence. For too long, women and their families have been held back. House Democrats recognize that when women and girls have equal access to the tools needed to succeed, communities across our country are more prosperous. It is time for Senate Republicans to stop obstructing and expeditiously take action on House-passed legislation that would strengthen the well-being of more than half of all Americans. Women and girls deserve better," the Congresswomen wrote.
Below is the complete text of the letter to Senator McConnell.
December 11, 2019
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Senate Majority Leader
S-230 United States Capitol
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator McConnell,
We write to urge swift Senate action on House of Representatives-passed legislation that would directly benefit women and their families across this country. In 2018, a record number of women, including a historic number of women of color, were elected to Congress. In the first year of the 116th Congress, the 90 women in the Democratic Women's Caucus have spearheaded a legislative agenda to strengthen the health, economic security, and the well-being of our communities.
The House has passed more than 275 bipartisan pieces of legislation that continue to languish in the Senate. For example, in a bipartisan vote, the House passed H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women Act, landmark legislation that responds to our nation's crisis of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In March, the House passed H.R. 7, The Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation to ensure equal pay and promote economic security for families by breaking patterns of discrimination and strengthening the Equal Pay Act. Despite being breadwinners in most families with children, women who work full-time and year-round still only make 80 cents on the dollar for men's earnings. This disparity is even greater for women of color. H.R.582, the Raise the Wage Act, which passed out of the House with bipartisan support, would increase the federal minimum wage. By raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, the legislation would give 33.5 million Americans a pay increase, including one in four women workers.
In addition, the House has passed legislation that strengthens healthcare by protecting Americans with pre-existing conditions and lowering prescription drug costs. However, Senate Republicans have refused to act. H.R. 986 and H.R 987, two bills that strengthen health care and reverse the Trump Administration's sabotage of the Affordable Care Act, passed out of the House in May of 2019. Women and families deserve action to address the maternal mortality crisis, lower health care costs, and expand access to care, including reproductive health care.
House Democratic Women are not only fighting for the economic opportunity and the health of individuals, but we are also fighting for legislation that would empower women globally, combat the climate crisis, support women servicemembers and veterans, provide equality for all, and ensure women and families are able to live free from violence. For too long, women and their families have been held back. House Democrats recognize that when women and girls have equal access to the tools needed to succeed, communities across our country are more prosperous.
It is time for Senate Republicans to stop obstructing and expeditiously take action on House-passed legislation that would strengthen the well-being of more than half of all Americans. Women and girls deserve better.
Sincerely,
Representatives:
Brenda L. Lawrence
Debbie Dingell
Lois Frankel
Jackie Speier
Veronica Escobar
Deb Haaland
Katherine Clark
Rosa L. DeLauro
Alma S. Adams
Nanette Diaz Barragán
Karen Bass
Joyce Beatty
Susan A. Davis
Suzan K. DelBene
Anna G. Eshoo
Marcia L. Fudge
Robin L. Kelly
Ann M. Kuster
Suzanne Lee
Barbara Lee
Nita M. Lowey
Carolyn B. Maloney
Doris Matsui
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Stacey E. Plaskett
Ayanna Pressley
Kathleen M. Rice
Linda T. Sánchez
Janice D. Schakowsky
Kim Schrier, M.D.
Mikie Sherrill
Dina Titus
Lauren Underwood
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Bonnie Watson Coleman
Jennifer T. Wexton
Lisa Blunt Rochester
Cheri Bustos
Katherine Castor
Madeleine Dean
Lizzie Fletcher
Tulsi Gabbard
Jahana Hayes
Pramila Jayapal
Grace F. Napolitano
Mary Gay Scanlon
Donna E. Shalala
Elissa Slotkin
Rashida Tlaib
Lori Trahan
Susan Wild
Suzanne Bonamici
Julia Brownley
Yvette D. Clarke
Sheila Jackson Lee
Marcy Kaptur
Betty McCollum
Grace Meng
Gwen Moore
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Terri A. Sewell
Nydia M. Velázquez
Cindy Axne
Judy Chu
Angela Craig
Diana DeGette
Sylvia Garcia
Eddie Bernice Johnson
Ann Kirkpatrick
Zoe Lofgren
Elaine Luria
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
Ilhan Omar
Chellie Pingree
Katie Porter
Haley M. Stevens
Norma J. Torres
Xochitl Torres Small
Frederica S. Wilson
Sharice L. Davids
Abby Finkenauer
Christina Houlahan