DPCC Co-Chair Cheri Bustos: Women Are Building the Momentum to Make Real Change

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, Co-Chair of the House Democratic Policy & Communications Committee (DPCC), appeared on MSNBC Live Special Coverage to discuss the Women's March one year into the Trump Administration and the failed policies that led to the Trump Shutdown. Below are excerpts from the interview and a link to the video.

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"I was at the women's march a year ago in Chicago and I remember arriving there and one of the organizers came out and said ‘we are expect 50,000 people today' and just to my astonishment about a half hour later, they said ‘oh, now we think there is 100,000 people coming today'. By the time I hit the stage, there were 250,000 women in that audience and today in Chicago, I don't think your reporter mentioned the size of the crowd but there were 300,000 today in Chicago. So to your question, the momentum is building and we have a record number of women candidates running all over the country and I think we have the potential to have a really good year, we just have to keep working.

"Well, I think the tangible benefits that still need to come, you know, we have the Me Too movement going on. We have the Times Up movement going on. But the real and lasting change comes when places like Congress and I'm standing right outside the House floor right now – is when the makeup of Congress, or for that matter, the makeup of state legislatures or city councils, truly reflects the makeup of America. As you know, that would require about 51% of the elected bodies to be women. I think the real change will be as we elect more women and people who appreciate the importance of equality for any level, whether it's communities of color or women or anybody who feels underrepresented, including rural America by the way, that's how we're going to bring about real change. When we see those people running for office, getting elected to office."