On Wednesday, the Biden Administration announced that they would be taking steps to undo the Trump-era domestic “gag” rule, which prevented clinics that referred patients for abortions from receiving federal funding. The proposed Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule would revoke the Trump restrictions eventually, but not immediately. If implemented, the rule will […]
Biden Announced First Judicial Picks
On Tuesday, President Biden announced his first slate of judicial nominees, including nominating U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the appeals court in Washington. Jackson is one of Biden’s 11 nominations and one of three Black women that he is nominating for appeals court vacancies. She is also the first Muslim American to serve […]
Dr. Rachel Levine Becomes First Transgender Person to Receive Senate Confirmation
On Wednesday, Dr. Rachel Levine made history as the first openly transgender person to receive a confirmation from the Senate. She was confirmed as the assistant health secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by a vote of 52 to 48. “As Vice President Harris has said, I recognize that I may […]
Biden Administration to Amend Trump Federal Family Planning Program Rules
The Biden administration has announced that it will rewrite the rules for the Title X federal family planning program put in place by Donald Trump, which forced Planned Parenthood and other independent clinics who provide abortion and reproductive health care to withdraw from the program in 2019. Trump’s changes to the program, which provides reproductive […]
Deb Haaland Confirmed Becoming First Indigenous Secretary of the Interior
This week, in a 51-40 vote, the Senate confirmed Rep. Deb Haaland as the first Native American secretary of the interior, putting her at the helm of a federal agency that oversees natural resources, public land, and tribal affairs. “It is long past time that an American Indian serve as the secretary of the Interior,” […]
US Officially Rejoins the Paris Climate Agreement
The U.S. has officially rejoined the Paris Agreement on climate change this Friday after President Biden issued an executive order last month initiating the move. Former president Donald Trump famously withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement early in his presidency, using his tenure to roll back environmental protections put in place by the Obama […]
Saudi Women’s Rights Activist Loujan al-Hathloul Released From Prison
Prominent Saudi women’s rights activist Loujan al-Hathloul has been released from prison after 1,001 days of incarceration on what many have called bogus politically motivated charges. The move by the Saudi Arabian government is an overture to the new Biden administration and an attempt to assuage their criticisms of the country’s egregious human rights violations. […]
The Feminist Majority Joins The ERA Coalition in Urging Biden-Harris Administration to Prioritize Enshrining the ERA into the US Constitution
The Feminist Majority has signed on to a letter sent by The ERA Coalition to the Biden-Harris administration calling for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to finally be enshrined in the U.S. Constitution within the first 100 days of the Biden presidency. President Biden and Vice President Harris are both strong supporters of the ERA. […]
Texas Judge Temporarily Blocks Order to Remove Planned Parenthood from Medicaid
A state judge has ruled to temporarily halt the expulsion of Planned Parenthood from the Texas Medicaid program. Planned Parenthood affiliates brought an emergency lawsuit against the order on Wednesday, asserting that the state failed to give proper notice. The change was set to take effect on Thursday of this week, but the temporary restraining […]
Biden Signs Series of Executive Orders Reversing Trump Era Immigration Policies
On Tuesday, President Biden signed three executive orders aimed at reversing the “zero tolerance” immigration policies of the Trump administration. Biden said during the signing that “I’m not making new law. I’m eliminating bad policy.” One of the orders establishes a task force that will work to reunite migrant families that were separated at the […]
Biden Executive Order Ends Global Gag Rule and Strengthens Health Care Access
Today, President Biden will sign a series of executive orders that will end the global gag rule which prevents nongovernmental organizations from receiving U.S. aid if they provide or recommend abortion care. They will also order a review and assessment of the Title X domestic gag rule, as well as strengthening access to the Affordable […]
Senate Confirms Janet Yellen as First Female Head of the Treasury Dept
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 […]
Biden Administration to Review US-Taliban Agreement
In a conversation with Afghan National Security advisor Hamdullah Mohib, President Biden’s National Security advisor Jake Sullivan once again relayed that the Biden administration will review and assess the Doha Agreement, signed by the Trump administration and the Taliban. Sullivan also ensured US support “for protecting the extraordinary gains made by Afghan women, girls, and […]
Biden Lifts Trump’s Ban on Transgender Military Service
Today, in an expected action, President Biden signed an executive order reversing the ban that Trump had signed that had prohibited transgender people from serving openly in the military. The White House said Biden’s directive “sets the policy that all Americans who are qualified to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States should […]
Antony Blinken: Taliban Cannot Be Trusted with US Security and Gains Must be Protected
In his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Antony Blinken promised to protect the hard-won gains of Afghan women and girls if confirmed as Secretary of State. He stated that the Taliban cannot be trusted with US national security, policing Al-Qaeda and ISIS attacks on the US, and that a further withdrawal of […]
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, […]
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, […]
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. […]
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 […]