Congresswoman Waters Recognizes International Women’s Day
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), a leading Congressional advocate for women, minorities and low-income people, released the following statement today in recognition of the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day:
"Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. It is a day to remember the progress that women have made in the United States and around the world over the past century. One hundred years ago today, most American women were not allowed to vote, and their lives were governed by federal, state and local laws that were passed by men. Women in other parts of the world were no better off.
"Today is a day to honor the many women who have led the struggle for women's rights. We honor women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth who fought for women's suffrage despite public ridicule and rejection. We honor women like Gloria Steinem, who campaigned tirelessly to guarantee women equality before the law; Dr. Dorothy Height, the great educator, champion of civil rights, and leader of the National Council of Negro Women; Congresswoman Bella Abzug, a trailblazer and progressive who famously declared that women did belong in the house – the House of Representatives; and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first Black women in Congress and the first women to run for President in the Democratic primaries, whose strength and poise helped show us how to hone our political voice and power.
"Today is also a day that we rededicate ourselves to defending the rights and improving the lives of women here in the United States and around the world. In many parts of the world, women must raise their children in abject poverty, and girls lack access to basic education. Every year, half a million women die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth.
"Here in the United States, working women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn, and this wage gap is even larger for women of color. The effects of the gender wage gap are exacerbated by the fact that millions of American children depend on their mother's wages for their livelihoods. According to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, two-thirds of American families with children now rely on a woman's earnings for a significant portion of their family's income.
"It light of these inequities, it's ironic that the Republicans in the House of Representatives are making drastic cuts in funding for programs that help women and their families. The Republicans' proposed budget for the rest of this year would result in the elimination of 700,000 jobs and make drastic cuts in health and educational programs throughout the United States. The bill cuts funding for Head Start by $1.1 billion. This could cause nearly 218,000 children to be kicked out of Head Start classrooms and over 55,000 Head Start teachers to lose their jobs. Aid to local schools serving disadvantaged students was cut by almost $700 million, which could lead to job losses for an additional 10,000 teachers whose students depend on them. Job training programs were cut by more than $4 billion, and education and training for nurses was cut by more than one third. The bill entirely eliminates funding for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program and also eliminates family planning services for women and girls at thousands of hospitals and health clinics nationwide.
"The Republicans' proposed cuts in international programs for women and their families are no less drastic. Development assistance was cut by 30 percent, and food assistance was cut by an astonishing 42 percent, denying assistance to approximately 18 million poor and hungry people. According to an analysis by the ONE Campaign, Republican cuts to international affairs programs will mean that 226,000 fewer children in the developing world will attend school.
This will have a devastating impact on efforts to promote education for girls, who are often the first to suffer when poor families cannot afford to send all of their children to school. Drastic cuts in international health programs will result in 6 million fewer treatments for malaria and 5,000 fewer lives saved through immunizations from preventable diseases. Meanwhile, almost 10 million people will not benefit from HIV/AIDS testing and prevention services, and more than 58,000 HIV-positive, pregnant women will not receive treatment to protect their babies from the virus that causes AIDS.
"We cannot allow the Republican budget cuts to become law. On this International Women's Day, we must commit ourselves to continue the struggle to ensure equal rights for women and quality health and education for their families. Millions of women in the United States and around the world are depending upon us."
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