Early this morning, President-elect Biden announced Ambassador Samantha Power as his nominee for the United States Agency for International Development Administrator, while simultaneously elevating the position to become a member of the National Security Council. Ambassador Power served in the Obama-Biden Administration Cabinet from 2013-2017 as the 28th US Permanent Representative to the United Nations. […]
New House Rules Mandate Gender-Neutral Language
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rules Committee Chairman James McGovern announced the rules package for the 117th Congress, which includes increased accountability for the public, strong ethics reforms, and a focus on inclusion. The new rules establish a permanent Office of Diversity and Inclusion, as well as “honor all gender identities by changing […]
Nancy Pelosi Elected Speaker of the House for the 117th Congress
On Sunday, Nancy Pelosi was elected Speaker of the House for the 4th time by a narrow margin. “As we are sworn in today, we accept a responsibility as daunting and demanding as any that previous generations of leadership have faced. We begin the new Congress during a time of extraordinary difficulty,” said Pelosi, acknowledging […]
Biden Recruits Veteran Policy Adviser Susan Rice: “We All Rise or Fall Together”
12/16/2020 by SOPHIE DORF-KAMIENNY President-Elect Joe Biden appointed Ambassador Susan Rice to serve as director of the Domestic Policy Council in his administration, alongside four other domestic nominees, on Friday, Dec. 11. Rice, who has served in policy roles under multiple administrations, spoke alongside Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris to accept her nomination. “Today […]
Katherine Tai Appointed as U.S. Trade Rep.: “I Am Very Proud to Be an Advocate For American Workers”
12/16/2020 by SOPHIE DORF-KAMIENNY for msmagazine.com President-Elect Joe Biden is nominating and appointing a record number of diverse women to hold leadership roles in the Biden-Harris administration. Allow Ms. to introduce you to all the women appointed to join this historic administration. President-Elect Joe Biden appointed Katherine Tai to serve as United States Trade Representative […]
White House Cuts Millions of Dollars in Funding to California Because of Pro-Choice Law
During an event on Wednesday at the White House celebrating the administration’s anti-abortion efforts, the Trump Administration announced a new measure to restrict abortion access: withholding $200 million in Medicaid funding from California after the state passed a law requiring health insurance companies to cover abortion care. Alex Azar, Health and Human Services Secretary, announced […]
Rep. Marcia Fudge to Head Housing and Urban Development: “We Will Help People Believe Once Again”
In a recent series of nominations, President-Elect Joe Biden chose Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) to join his Cabinet as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She will be the second Black woman to hold the position, and first in the past 40 years. “When I think about the enormity of the task ahead of us, I am reminded of […]
Biden’s Choices for CDC Director and HHS Secretary Promote Diversity & Equity
President-elect Joe Biden has announced two more appointments for his future White House team – Rochelle Walenksy as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Xavier Becerra as the next secretary of the Health and Human Services Department (HHS). Both appointees have backgrounds in protecting healthcare access and equity. […]
Biden Appoints Record Number of Women to Top Roles
President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team has announced his picks for his communications and economic teams. Most of his announced picks are women, several of whom are women of color, following his campaign promise to build a diverse administration. Biden nominated Neera Tanden as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Tanden currently leads the […]
Biden Announces Janet Yellen as First Female Head of Treasury Department
On Monday, President-elect Joe Biden announced Janet Yellen as his nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, the first woman to hold the position in the history of the country if confirmed. Ms. Yellen is a labor market expert and is widely considered a strong feminist. She has spoken publicly of her support for economic policies […]
Biden Expected to Announce Linda Thomas-Greenfield as Ambassador to the UN
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to announce Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a longtime Black diplomat, as ambassador to the United Nations in a move to affirm his commitment to a diverse Cabinet. Greenfield has worked as a foreign service officer since the Reagan administration. She served as ambassador to Liberia, and as the Assistant Secretary of State […]
Supreme Court Hearings on Affordable Care Act Endanger Women’s Health
The Supreme Court has been hearing oral arguments regarding the legality of the Affordable Care Act this week, which puts about 32 million people’s (a majority of whom are women) healthcare coverage at risk. The Affordable Care Act, in addition to providing millions of people with insurance coverage through Medicare and Medicaid, bans sex discrimination […]
Senate Holds Confirmation Hearings for SCOTUS Nominee Amy Coney Barrett
Yesterday, confirmation hearings began in the Senate for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Many of the speeches and declarations made were regarding the 2020 elections, particularly Trump’s backing of a lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act and the rushing of this hearing during a pandemic that has impacted many on Capitol Hill. […]
Anti-Abortion Activist Who Advocated for Ending Women’s Suffrage Speaks at RNC
Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee turned anti-abortion activist, spoke at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Tuesday. Johnson was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic before leaving after reportedly watching an abortion on an ultrasound. She now runs And Then There Were None, an organization which helps those who work in facilities […]
Record Number of Women Running for Congress in 2020
More women are running for Congress than ever before. According to data from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University, 583 women have filed to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020. So far, 243 women have won their primary elections, another record high. While fewer female Democrats have […]
Kamala Harris Becomes Historic Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate
On Tuesday presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced his running mate – Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA). In doing so, Sen. Harris has become the first Black woman and first South Asian American woman to be the vice-presidential nominee of a major political party. If elected, Sen. Harris would become the first female, first Black, […]
Today Marks the 55th Anniversary of the Landmark Voting Rights Act
August 6th marks the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). This momentous piece of legislation worked to ensure Black Americans could exercise their constitutional right to vote by combating voter suppression tactics. “I have said this before, and I will say it again – the vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It […]
Trump Signs Order Aimed at Strengthening Telehealth and Rural Healthcare
On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at empowering rural healthcare providers and expanding access to telehealth services. Medicare has greatly expanded its coverage of telehealth services as part of its coronavirus emergency response, but that expansion is set to expire once the public health emergency is over. The executive order calls […]
Historic Number of Black Women Running for Congress in 2020
Women in politics are breaking barriers and setting records left and right in 2020, amid unprecedented circumstances that have shaped national conversations and altered the ways that elections are administered and campaigns are run. Most recently, a piece in Reuters shared that a record number of Black women are set to run for Congress in […]
Anti-Abortion Democrats Press Democratic National Committee to Change Party Platform
Over 100 anti-abortion Democrats have signed a letter calling for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to adopt a party platform less supportive of abortion. The letter was written by Democrats for Life, an organization of pro-life Democrats. It was signed by a number of prominent Christian pastors, anti-abortion organizers, and professors of religion. The letter […]