On Wednesday morning, the Republican controlled Senate Finance Committee suspended the rules of quorum, which require at least one member of each party to be present for a vote, and pushed through Tom Price’s nomination to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services, sending it to the full Senate for a vote.
Uncategorized
Neil Gorsuch, Dangerous for Women, Nominated to Supreme Court
Thought to be even more conservative than Scalia, Gorsuch considers himself to be an originalist, meaning he attempts to interpret the Constitution as it was written by the founders, a fact that leaves many women’s rights activists concerned, as the 19th amendment granting the right to vote is the only explicit Constitutional protection for women.
Executive Order Barring Muslims and Refugees from Entering the U.S. Sparks Outrage
Last week, President Trump issued an executive order entitled “Protecting the Nation From Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals” banning the entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries into the Unites States.
DeVos Nomination Moves Forward as Price and Sessions Remain in Committee
Tuesday morning, three Senate Committees met to vote on whether to report nominations for the attorney general, secretary of health and human services and secretary of education to the Senate floor for a full vote.
EACH Woman Act Reintroduced in Congress
The EACH Woman Act would prohibit federal, state and local governments from passing laws that restrict private health insurance companies from offering abortion care, and restore abortion insurance coverage to the 28 million women who receive health insurance through the federal government and are currently denied coverage for an abortion procedure through the 1976 Hyde Amendment.
Tillerson Senate Confirmation Vote Expected Soon
Tillerson’s confirmation vote to be Secretary of State, the nation’s highest ranking foreign diplomat, falls at a time of international and national dispute over the actions taken by President Trump during his first week in office.
FMF Joins the Women’s March on Washington
On Saturday, January 21, over 500,000 people in Washington D.C., and over 3.5 million people around the world, took to the streets with a simple message: We stand together. Women’s rights are human rights. America must move forward. Here are some of our favorite pictures from that historical day.
Uncategorized
Environmental Agencies Ordered to Halt Outside Communication
The Trump administration has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other governmental agencies, like the Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services, not to speak to the press and not to post on social media outlets or blogs.
Trump’s Pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services Goes Before Senate Finance Committee
On Tuesday, Tom Price, President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, went before the Senate Finance Committee to answer questions about contraception, abortion, and his trading of healthcare and pharmaceutical stocks while introducing legislation that could benefit his investments.
Trump Signs Order to Proceed with Controversial Oil Pipeline Constructions
On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive action to advance the constructions of the long embattled Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines, fulfilling a campaign promise that leaves many environmental and indigenous rights activists concerned for the future.
Trump Reinstates and Expands the Global Gag Rule
In one of his first acts as President, Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday to reinstate and expand the Global Gag Rule, which restricts women’s abortion access worldwide.
House Expected to Vote on Major Abortion Restriction
Today the House is expected to vote on H.R. 7, known as the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, a bill that would attempt to block all women from accessing health insurance that covers abortion care. It is a sweeping piece of legislation that touches on a number of anti-abortion policies.
Tom Price has Senate Confirmation Hearing for Health and Human Services
Price is a controversial choice, as he is seen by many social justice advocates to be against the very programs that he has been nominated to lead—programs that tens of millions of people desperately need for health care.
Russia Passes Bill Decriminalizing Forms of Domestic Abuse
The bill, which is referred to as the “slapping law” downplays the “battery within families” charge to an administrative offense rather than a criminal one.
Senate Holds Confirmation Hearing for Betsy Devos
Betsy DeVos’ Senate confirmation hearing to serve as secretary of the Department of Education (ED) was held Tuesday evening, as DeVos was questioned on issues ranging from guns in schools to the privatization of public education.
Uncategorized
Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. Employees Testify Against Labor Nominee Puzder at Special Forum
Senate Democrats from the Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) held a forum yesterday to hear from workers employed by Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. Both fast-food chains are owned by CKE Restaurants, the company led by Secretary of Labor nominee Andrew Puzder. The HELP Committee is expected to hold hearings on Puzder’s nomination soon, but Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN), denied a request to have the workers testify during the official confirmation hearing.
Tennessee Woman Pleads Guilty to Attempted Procurement of a Miscarriage
This week, Anna Yocca, the 32 year old Tennessee woman who has been in jail a year waiting trial over allegations that she attempted to induce her own abortion, was released after pleading guilty to attempted procurement of a miscarriage.
Senate Passes Budget Resolution that Allows for Repeal of Affordable Care Act
At 1:30 in the morning on Thursday, the Senate voted 51-48 to pass a budget resolution that directs House and Senate committees to craft legislation that will fully repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
Roundup of First Day of Sessions’ Confirmation Hearing for Attorney General
For over eight hours, Sessions answered questions about his prosecutorial and Senatorial record, as well as over controversial comments he has made, as Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee sought to unearth if Sessions would be able to enforce laws that he actively opposed.
Survey of Afghan People Reveals Hesitations and Signs of Hope
The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organization, has released its 12th annual Afghan opinion survey entitled Afghanistan in 2016: A Survey of the Afghan People.