Equal Rights for Women!

A Milestone for Equality
This week, the House took action to move our nation closer to our founding ideal that all are created equal by passing H.J. Res 79. This resolution would remove the arbitrary deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

One hundred years after women won the right to vote, it is a shameful reality that the Equal Rights Amendment still has not been enshrined in the Constitution. As a result, millions of American women still face inequality under the law and injustice in their careers and lives, including a devastating wage gap, pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. Currently, without the ERA, the Constitution does not guarantee equality between men and women.

By passing this resolution, the House is paving the way to enshrining Equal Rights Amendment in the Constitution, which will achieve justice for women and progress for families by increasing paychecks so moms can pay for their family's needs such as rent, groceries, childcare and health care. The Equal Rights Amendment will strengthen America, unleashing the full power of women in our economy and upholding the value of equality in our democracy. Because when Women succeed, America succeeds!

Congresswoman Pelosi joins House Democrats for a press conference ahead of the vote to remove the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment.

An Insult to Americans
President Trump's latest budget continues his relentless attacks on the health and economic security of hard-working Americans. It is a complete reversal of the promises he made in the campaign and a contradiction of the statements he made at the State of the Union.

The President has broken his promises to seniors and families by slashing half a trillion dollars from Medicare, taking $900 billion from the lifeline of Medicaid, and cutting Social Security Disability Insurance. Two-thirds of long-term care is payed for by Medicaid. It is a middle class benefit. These cuts endanger the health of seniors in long-term care needs for them and their families. They also hurt rural hospitals, people seeking opioid addiction treatment, veterans and their families. At the same time, the President is in court fighting to overturn the Affordable Care Act which has the pre-existing condition benefit and is important to families.

Our federal budget should be a statement of our national values. Once again, the President is showing just how little he values the good health, financial security and well-being of hard-working American families. The President's budget is anti-growth, does not create good-paying jobs and increases the national debt.

Protecting Americans
This week, with the strong War Powers Resolution to limit the President's military action in Iran, the Senate joined the House to honor the first responsibility we have as Members of Congress: to keep the American people safe.

The President's reckless decision to engage in hostilities against Iran without consulting Congress continues to endanger our servicemembers, diplomats and others. Yet, for weeks now, the Administration has kept the Congress and American people in the dark about its actions and lack of strategy, including the resulting threats to our troops. More than 100 American servicemembers have been diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury from Iran's retaliatory strike.

The House has maintained a drumbeat of action to limit the President's dangerous military action and to save American lives by passing our War Powers Resolution, in addition to legislation to repeal the 2002 Iraq Authorization for Use of Military Force and legislation to prohibit funding for military action against Iran not authorized by Congress. Now, we will prepare to take up Senator Kaine's War Powers Resolution in the coming weeks.

The President needs to listen to the will of Congress and the American people and work with Congress on a de-escalatory strategy that will protect American lives and interests. America and the world cannot afford war.