Last night the Senate confirmed Janet Yellen as Secretary of the Treasury with bipartisan support. Yellen is the first woman to hold the position since Alexander Hamilton became the first Treasury Secretary 232 years ago. “Janet Yellen is brilliant and has a track record for being unflappable,” said Greg Valliere, chief US policy strategist at […]
Senators and Members of Congress Reintroduce Joint Resolution to Remove Timeline on the Equal Rights Amendment
Today, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY), along with 195 cosponsors, reintroduced the House Joint Resolution to remove the arbitrary deadline for ratification from the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)’s preamble. Its companion joint resolution was introduced in the Senate today by Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Representative Jackie […]
Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman Started Her High School’s Chapter of Girls Learn International, a Project of Feminist Majority Foundation
At yesterday’s Inauguration of President Joe Biden, a momentous day, all eyes were on young poet Amanda Gorman. At 22, she is the youngest poet to speak at a presidential inauguration, and her words moved the in-person and virtual audience. Those who know Gorman say that she has always been committed to educating her peers […]
President Biden Issued 17 Executive Orders and Directives on His First Day in Office
Yesterday, within a few hours of his inauguration, President Joe Biden signed 17 directives and executive orders, many of which were aimed at undoing the harm left behind by the Trump administration. At the top of his priority list was racial justice and LGBTQ+ equality actions. Importantly, Biden will end the Trump administration’s 1776 Commission, […]
“The Hill We Climb”: Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman Makes Her Mark
Millions of Americans were inspired by Wednesday’s inauguration ceremony, at which the first Black, Asian and female vice president took her oath of office. But perhaps equally moving was the contribution of 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, the youngest poet to ever speak at a presidential inauguration—demonstrating the strength of a new generation at this crucial turning point in […]
Biden Nominates Transgender Woman as Assistant Health Secretary at HHS
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden nominated Pennsylvania health secretary Dr. Rachel Levine as the assistant health secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If confirmed by the Senate, Levine will be the first transgender woman to hold the position. Levine was appointed to her current post by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017 […]
BREAKING: Biden Announces Formation of White House Gender Policy Council
Today, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris announced the creation of the White House Gender Policy Council, which will be co-chaired by Jennifer Klein and Julissa Reynoso. The goal of the Council is to facilitate government policy that positively impacts women and girls on a range of issues including health care, economic security, racial justice, […]
President-Elect Joe Biden Promises Progressive Policies on Day One
Since Joe Biden announced his bid for the Presidency almost two years ago, he has spoken about his plans for his early days in office, many of them being plans to reverse regressive Trump policies. As tomorrow is Biden’s first day as President, he has announced a specific list of promises that he will enact […]
Biden Nominates Ambassador Samantha Power as USAID Administrator
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 […]
