On Wednesday evening, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions was confirmed as US Attorney General with a final vote of 52-47, after nearly thirty hours of debate, during which Democratic senators voiced their strong opposition to Sessions’ confirmation.
Betsy DeVos Confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Education
“This is the first time in American history that a Vice President has ever had make a tie-breaking vote to confirm a Cabinet nominee, showing just how weak DeVos’ position really is,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation. “Every single Senator who voted “Yes” is personally responsible for the deciding vote, and those of us concerned with equity in education will not soon forget it.”
Boy Scouts Drops Ban on Admitting Transgender Boys
Moving forward, the program will base admission off of the gender listed by the child or parent on the application, rather than the sex listed on the child’s birth certificate, as was the practice previously.
Treasury Secretary Nominee Mnuchin to Have Confirmation Vote this Week
“Mnuchin profited off of kicking people out of their homes and then gave false testimony about his bank’s abusive practices,” said Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH). “He cannot be trusted to make decisions about policies as personal to working Ohioans as their taxes and retirement.”
Arkansas Governor Signs Offensive and Dangerous Anti-Abortion Bill
Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas recently signed into law a bill that allows the husband of a woman seeking an abortion to sue his wife’s doctor, either for monetary gain or in order to place an injunction on the procedure, essentially allowing a man to refuse his partner access to an abortion.
Republicans Suspend Committee Rules to Move Forward with Price Nomination
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.
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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.
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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.