On Feb. 25, Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-C.O.) flew cross-country from Colorado to Washington, D.C., with her four-week-old infant, to vote against the House spending plan. At the beginning of her statement on the House floor, Rep. Pettersen said, “I wasn’t going to let [being denied the opportunity to vote virtually] stop me from being here […]
Russel Vought, Project 2025 Co-Author, Confirmed as Federal Budget Chief
On February 6, the Senate confirmed Russell Vought as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought’s nomination was heavily contested, primarily due to his history as the co-author of Project 2025, an extreme conservative agenda listing Trump’s priorities for his second term. Project 2025, created by the Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-wing […]
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research Hosts Briefing to Outline Path towards Equality
Panelists at the IWPR briefing (Marisa Conners) On Wednesday, Feb. 5, The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) hosted an event titled “2025 Federal Policy Solutions to Advance Gender Equity,” where policymakers, experts and advocates gathered to strategize on the urgent need to safeguard and expand women’s rights. The panelists included President of the National […]
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions holds hearing on abortion access
Photo by Connor Gan On June 4th, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing on “The Assault on Women’s Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America.” Filled to the brim with women young and old, the room was tense as the audience waited for opening remarks […]
‘100 Years, Not One More’: ERA Advocates Rally on Centennial Anniversary
Chants of “not one more year” filled downtown D.C. as equal rights activists marched from the White House to the Capitol on Dec. 13th — the 100 year anniversary of the ERA’s introduction in the House of Representatives. Activists, led by the ERA Coalition, demanded that not one more year pass without rights being protected […]
A Movement, Not Just a Magazine – 50 Years of Ms.
Photo by Madelyn Amos Last week, D.C. warmly welcomed Ms. to celebrate 50 years of groundbreaking journalism and inspiring generations of women and feminist activists. The Feminist Majority Foundation and Ms. hosted multiple events – a news conference at the National Press Club, a panel at the Women’s Bar Association of D.C., and a reception […]
Equal Rights Amendment Going Strong At 50 Years
The Equal Rights Amendment, which was 50 years ago approved by the Senate and sent to the states for ratification, received strong support today from leading Constitutional scholars. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, released today opinion letters from Laurence Tribe, Harvard Law School, Carl M. Loeb, University Professor Emeritus and […]
“The Equal Rights Amendment Has Been Ratified. It Is the Law”: U.S. House Resolution Declares ERA 28th Amendment
by Carrie N. Baker for Ms. Magazine In an opinion issued on Wednesday, Jan. 26, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) helped clear the way for the Equal Rights Amendment, according to leading ERA advocates. In January of 2020, under Trump, the OLC issued an opinion arguing that Congress had no power to remove a […]
ERA Coalition and Partners to Rally at White House, Host Virtual Press Conference Marking Date Equal Rights Amendment Must Be In Effect
Sen. Cardin, Chairwoman Maloney, Congresswoman Speier To Speak at Press Conference Washington, D.C. –– After nearly a century of work, Thursday, January 27 marks the end of the two-year waiting period for the Equal Rights Amendment to go into effect across the country after meeting all of the constitutional requirements. To commemorate the day, the ERA […]
Maloney and Other Members of Congress Introduce Access to Birth Control Act
On Wednesday, November 17, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Rep. Robin Kelly, and Rep Katie Porter in the House and Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Patty Murray in the Senate introduced the Access to Birth Control Act to ensure that customers attempting to access birth control at pharmacies cannot be turned away. According to Rewire News, “thanks […]
Congress Passes Infrastructure Bill, Biden to Sign Next Week
On Monday, November 15th, President Biden will sign the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the long-awaited bipartisan infrastructure bill, into law. Attending the ceremony will be members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, governors and mayors, and labor union and business leaders. The Senate passed the bill in August, and the House passed […]
ERA Coalition and 77 Organizations urge the A.G. to withdraw Trump administration anti-ERA memo
Yesterday (October 28th), Christopher Schroeder was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) by a vote of 56-41. Previously, he served as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy under the Obama Administration. Under the Trump Administration, the head of the […]
President Biden Releases Build Back Better Framework
President Joe Biden released on Thursday a new framework for his Build Back Better agenda, which includes $1.75 trillion in investments to extend health care coverage and alleviate child poverty and combat climate change. Key to this framework is expanding the child tax credit (CTC) for one year, and establishing full refundability permanently, allowing low-income […]
House Oversight and Reform Committee Holds Historic Hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment
On Thursday, the House Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing about the Equal Rights Amendment. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who chairs the Oversight Committee, started the hearing by stating that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has met all requirements for the adoption of a United States Constitutional Amendment. It was ratified by 2/3 of both […]
Fifty Years After Passage, the Equal Rights Amendment Is More Important Than Ever
This is an opinion piece written by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, published originally on Ms. online. Imagine for a moment that the Equal Rights Amendment had become part of the U.S. Constitution soon after Congress in 1972 sent it to the states for ratification. Many heartbreaking events would have been prevented, for both women and men. […]
U.S. Representatives Share their Personal Abortion Stories at Congressional Hearing
Several United States House Representatives, including Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), spoke at a House Oversight Committee hearing Thursday about their personal decisions to get an abortion. Rep. Cori Bush testified how she had been raped at 17 years old on a church trip, realized she was […]
Biden Administration Proposes New Rule to Protect DACA
The Biden administration published a rule Tuesday that could help to preserve Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in the administration’s latest attempt to protect the program from legal challenges. The rule would cement DACA, protecting hundreds of thousands of people without documentation who were brought to this country as children from losing their ability […]
U.S. Gymnasts Testify at Senate Hearing, Revealing How the FBI Mishandled the Larry Nassar Abuse Investigation
Four top U.S. gymnasts, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, and Maggie Nichols, testified at a Senate hearing Wednesday on how the FBI botched the investigation into sexual abuse allegations made against former USA Gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar. Nassar is currently serving a life sentence for molesting hundreds of women and girls during his time […]
Biden Administration Appeals Ruling that Found DACA Illegal
The Biden administration appealed a federal district court ruling on Friday that declared the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program illegal and blocked new applicants from receiving the program’s benefits. The appeal challenges a ruling made by Texas federal district Judge Andrew Hanen in July. Judge Hanen ruled that DACA was unlawful because it […]
Activists Join Together to Rally for the Equal Rights Amendment on Women’s Equality Day
On Thursday afternoon, around 150 activists and women’s rights leaders from across the country gathered in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, across from the U.S. Senate, to rally for removal of the arbitrary timeline placed in the preamble of the Equal Rights Amendment. The U.S. House of Representatives voted to remove the time limit […]