LATEST »

League of Women Voters Endorses Health Reform, Launches “Stand Up to the Lies”

October 15, 2009

At the urging of its members, the non-partisan League of Women Voters has endorsed Democratic efforts to pass health insurance reform, and is running a 30 second ad, “Stand Up to the Lies,” in Maine, North Dakota and Arkansas from October 14 to 28th.

In a press release, League president Mary G. Wilson said:

“Health care reform is a critically important issue for Americans – an issue that requires action from all of us. After watching opponents of health care reform repeatedly attempt to scare people with lies and disorderly conduct, the League decided that we must speak up.

“This is an unusual step for us. But as a non-partisan membership organization that believes in reasoned and civil debate we felt compelled to take a stand against the lies and the distortions. We know our modest buy is a drop in the bucket compared to the vast resources being spent by special interests, but we also know that our message is shared by countless, everyday Americans.”

Women are disproportionately affected by our broken health care system. In many states, insurance companies are allowed to discriminate on the basis of gender. One recent study found that a 25-year old woman is charged 45 percent more than a 25-year old man for the same coverage, and thousands of women have been denied coverage because of so-called "pre-existing" conditions, like having had a C-section or a previous pregnancy. .

Women »

Senate Judiciary Committee Votes to Confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor

July 28, 2009

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued a statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted - 13 to 6 - to move Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation process to the full Senate. The Senate is expected to debate the nomination next week. Sotomayor would be the Court’s first Hispanic justice and only it’s third woman.

Here’s an excerpt from Kaine’s statement:

“Throughout her hearings, Judge Sotomayor demonstrated why she is one of the most qualified candidates ever nominated to the Court. With experience as a prosecutor, a corporate litigator and a judge, she will bring more federal judicial experience than any justice in the 100 years. And her incredible life story is something all Americans can draw inspiration from. Every American should be proud today that the country is one step closer to having our first-ever Latina Supreme Court Justice.

“I want to congratulate Judge Sotomayor on this historic step and thank Chairman Leahy (D-VT) for his outstanding leadership. Despite the attempts of some Republicans to play politics with the Judge’s confirmation, the process remains on schedule so that Judge Sotomayor will be able to join her colleagues on the Court in early September.”

President Obama Signs SCHIP

February 4, 2009

President Barack Obama delivered remarks before signing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) legislation that will cover an additional four million children of low income families and include the children of legal immigrants as well.

Full remarks below.

Remarks of President Barack Obama Children’s Health Insurance Program Bill Signing Washington, D.C. February 4, 2009

Today, with one of the first bills I sign – reauthorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program – we fulfill one of the highest responsibilities we have: to ensure the health and well-being of our nation’s children.

It is a responsibility that has only grown more urgent as our economic crisis has deepened, health care costs have exploded, and millions of working families are unable to afford health insurance. Today in America, eight million children are still uninsured – more than 45 million Americans altogether.

It’s hard to overstate the toll this takes on our families: the sleepless nights worrying that someone’s going to get hurt, or praying that a sick child gets better on her own. The decisions that no parent should ever have to make – how long to put off that doctor’s appointment, whether to fill that prescription, whether to let a child play outside, knowing that all it takes is one accident, one injury, to send your family into financial ruin.

The families joining us today know these realities firsthand. When Gregory Secrest, from Martinsville, Virginia lost his job back in August, his kids lost their health care. When he broke the news to his family, his nine year-old son handed over his piggy bank with $4 in it, and told him, “Daddy, if you need it, you take it.”

This is not who we are. We are not a nation that leaves struggling families to fend for themselves. No child in America should be receiving her primary care in the emergency room in the middle of the night. No child should be falling behind at school because he can’t hear the teacher or see the blackboard. I refuse to accept that millions of our kids fail to reach their full potential because we fail to meet their basic needs. In a decent society, there are certain obligations that are not subject to tradeoffs or negotiation – health care for our children is one of those obligations.

That is why we have passed this legislation to continue coverage for seven million children, cover an additional four million children in need, and finally lift the ban on states providing insurance to legal immigrant children if they choose to do so. Since it was created more than ten years ago, the Children’s Health Insurance Program has been a lifeline for millions of kids whose parents work full time, and don’t qualify for Medicaid, but through no fault of their own don’t have – and can’t afford – private insurance. For millions of kids who fall into that gap, CHIP has provided care when they’re sick and preventative services to help them stay well. This legislation will allow us to continue and build on these successes.

But this bill is only a first step. The way I see it, providing coverage to 11 million children through CHIP is a down payment on my commitment to cover every single American. And it is just one component of a much broader effort to finally bring our health care system into the twenty-first century. That’s where the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that is now before Congress comes in.

Think about this – if Congress passes this recovery plan, in just one month, we’ll have done more to modernize our health care system than we’ve done in the past decade.

We’ll be on our way to computerizing all of America’s medical records, which won’t just eliminate inefficiencies, save billions of dollars and create tens of thousands of jobs – but will save lives by reducing deadly medical errors. We’ll have made the single largest investment in prevention and wellness in history – tackling problems like smoking and obesity, and helping people live longer, healthier lives. And we’ll have extended health insurance for the unemployed, so that workers who lose their jobs don’t lose their health care too.

Now, in the past few days I’ve heard criticisms of this plan that echo the very same failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis – the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can address this enormous crisis with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges like the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.

I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. So I urge members of Congress to act without delay. No plan is perfect, and we should work to make it stronger. But let’s not make the perfect the enemy of the essential. Let’s show people all over our country who are looking for leadership in this difficult time that we are equal to the task. Let’s give America’s families the support they need to weather this crisis.

In the end, that’s really all that folks like the Secrests are looking for – the chance to work hard, and to have that hard work translate into a good life for their kids. I’m pleased to report that their story had a happy ending – it turned out that Gregory’s two sons were eligible for CHIP, and they are now fully covered, much to his relief. I think Gregory put it best when he said: “Kids look at us and think ‘they’ll take care of us.’ That is our job – to keep them safe and healthy.”

That’s what I think about when I tuck my own girls into bed each night. That is what I want for every child – and every family – in this nation. That’s why it is so important that Congress passes our recovery plan – so we can get to work rebuilding America’s health care system.

It won’t be easy – and it won’t happen all at once. But the bill I sign today is a critical first step. So I want to thank all the state and local officials, advocates and ordinary citizens across America who’ve fought so hard to pass it. I want to thank all the members of Congress who have worked so tirelessly, for so long, so that we could see this day. And I want you all to know that I am confident that if we come together, and work together, we can finally achieve what generations of Americans have fought for and fulfill the promise of health care in our time.

Thank you.

President Obama Signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

January 29, 2009

President Barack Obama signed his first piece of legislation, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, that will make it easier for anyone to get equal pay for equal work regardless of age, race, or gender.

Full remarks of the President are below.

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT UPON SIGNING THE LILLY LEDBETTER BILL East Room January 29, 2009 10:20 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: All right. Everybody please have a seat. Well, this is a wonderful day. (Applause.) First of all, it is fitting that the very first bill that I sign -- the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act -- (applause) -- that it is upholding one of this nation's founding principles: that we are all created equal, and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness.

It's also fitting that we're joined today by the woman after whom this bill is named -- someone who Michelle and I have had the privilege to get to know ourselves. And it is fitting that we are joined this morning by the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. (Applause.) It's appropriate that this is the first bill we do together. We could not have done it without her. Madam Speaker, thank you for your extraordinary work. And to all the sponsors and members of Congress and leadership who helped to make this day possible.

Lilly Ledbetter did not set out to be a trailblazer or a household name. She was just a good hard worker who did her job -- and she did it well -- for nearly two decades before discovering that for years, she was paid less than her male colleagues for doing the very same work. Over the course of her career, she lost more than $200,000 in salary, and even more in pension and Social Security benefits -- losses that she still feels today.

Now, Lilly could have accepted her lot and moved on. She could have decided that it wasn't worth the hassle and the harassment that would inevitably come with speaking up for what she deserved. But instead, she decided that there was a principle at stake, something worth fighting for. So she set out on a journey that would take more than ten years, take her all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States, and lead to this day and this bill which will help others get the justice that she was denied.

Because while this bill bears her name, Lilly knows that this story isn't just about her. It's the story of women across this country still earning just 78 cents for every dollar men earn -- women of color even less -- which means that today, in the year 2009, countless women are still losing thousands of dollars in salary, income and retirement savings over the course of a lifetime.

Equal pay is by no means just a women's issue -- it's a family issue. It's about parents who find themselves with less money for tuition and child care; couples who wind up with less to retire on; households where one breadwinner is paid less than she deserves; that's the difference between affording the mortgage -- or not; between keeping the heat on, or paying the doctor bills -- or not. And in this economy, when so many folks are already working harder for less and struggling to get by, the last thing they can afford is losing part of each month's paycheck to simple and plain discrimination.

So signing this bill today is to send a clear message: that making our economy work means making sure it works for everybody; that there are no second-class citizens in our workplaces; and that it's not just unfair and illegal, it's bad for business to pay somebody less because of their gender or their age or their race or their ethnicity, religion or disability; and that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory, or footnote in a casebook. It's about how our laws affect the daily lives and the daily realities of people: their ability to make a living and care for their families and achieve their goals.

Ultimately, equal pay isn't just an economic issue for millions of Americans and their families, it's a question of who we are -- and whether we're truly living up to our fundamental ideals; whether we'll do our part, as generations before us, to ensure those words put on paper some 200 years ago really mean something -- to breathe new life into them with a more enlightened understanding that is appropriate for our time.

That is what Lilly Ledbetter challenged us to do. And today, I sign this bill not just in her honor, but in the honor of those who came before -- women like my grandmother, who worked in a bank all her life, and even after she hit that glass ceiling, kept getting up and giving her best every day, without complaint, because she wanted something better for me and my sister.

And I sign this bill for my daughters, and all those who will come after us, because I want them to grow up in a nation that values their contributions, where there are no limits to their dreams and they have opportunities their mothers and grandmothers never could have imagined.

In the end, that's why Lilly stayed the course. She knew it was too late for her -- that this bill wouldn't undo the years of injustice she faced or restore the earnings she was denied. But this grandmother from Alabama kept on fighting, because she was thinking about the next generation. It's what we've always done in America -- set our sights high for ourselves, but even higher for our children and our grandchildren.

And now it's up to us to continue this work. This bill is an important step -- a simple fix to ensure fundamental fairness for American workers -- and I want to thank this remarkable and bipartisan group of legislators who worked so hard to get it passed. And I want to thank all the advocates who are in the audience who worked so hard to get it passed. This is only the beginning. I know that if we stay focused, as Lilly did -- and keep standing for what's right, as Lilly did -- we will close that pay gap and we will make sure that our daughters have the same rights, the same chances, and the same freedoms to pursue their dreams as our sons.

So thank you, Lilly Ledbetter. (Applause.)

(The bill is signed.) (Applause.)

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Heads to President Obama's Desk

January 23, 2009

In a 61-36 vote, the Senate voted in favor of equal pay for equal work on the heels of the House vote earlier this month.

The legislation now heads to President Barack Obama's desk for signature.

December: 500k Jobs Lost, Unemployment Reaches 7.2%

January 9, 2009

In figures released in the December jobs report by the Labor Department, more than a half million jobs were lost and unemployment spiked to 7.2 percent.

The U.S. economy lost 524,000 jobs in December, closing out the worst year for job losses since World War II, the Labor Department said Friday.

Nearly 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008, with 1.9 million destroyed in just the past four months, according to a survey of work places. It's the biggest job loss in any calendar year since 1945, when 2.75 million jobs were lost as the wartime economy was demobilized.

The 1.5 million jobs lost in the fourth quarter were the most in any three-month period since 1945.
As a percentage of employment, job losses in 2008 totaled 1.8%, the worst since 1982 and the third largest since the war.

The numbers were released as Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-California) began her Senate confirmation hearings as the next Secretary of Labor for President-elect Barack Obama's incoming administration.

President-elect Barack Obama's pick to become the top U.S. labor official said on Friday her priorities would be to boost job training and search assistance to fight a deepening U.S. recession.

Democratic Rep. Hilda Solis, tapped by Obama to become labor secretary, also told her Senate confirmation hearing she would fight job discrimination and ensure employees "get the pay they have earned working in safe, healthy and fair workplaces."

Rep. Solis Named Labor Secretary; Former Rep. LaHood to Lead Transportation

December 19, 2008

California Congresswoman Hilda Solis was named Secretary of Labor, and former Illinois Congressman Ray LaHood was appointed Secretary of Transportation by President-elect Barack Obama at a press conference in Chicago this afternoon.

The President-elect also named Karen Mills as Administrator of the Small Business Administration and former Mayor Ron Kirk as United States Trade Representative.

Hilda has always been an advocate for everyday people. When she received an award several years ago, she said, “Fighting for what is just is not always popular, but it is necessary.” And that is exactly what she has done throughout her career, blazing new trails every step of the way. Whether it’s creating green jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced or expanding access to affordable health care or raising the minimum wage in California, Hilda has been a champion of our middle class. And I know that Hilda will show the same kind of leadership as Secretary of Labor that she showed in California and on the Education and Labor Committee by protecting workers’ rights – from organizing to collective bargaining, from keeping our workplaces safe to making our unions strong. [...]

Few understand our infrastructure challenge better than the outstanding public servant I am asking to lead the Department of Transportation – Ray LaHood. As a Congressman from Illinois, Ray served six years on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, leading efforts to modernize our aviation system by renewing our aging airports and ensuring that air traffic controllers were using cutting edge technology. Throughout his career, Ray has fought to improve mass transit and invest in our highways. But he has not only helped rebuild our landscape, he has helped beautify it by creating opportunities for bikers and runners to enjoy our great outdoors. When I began this appointment process, I said I was committed to finding the best person for the job, regardless of party. Ray’s appointment reflects that bipartisan spirit – a spirit we need to reclaim in this country to make progress for the American people.

Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Women Highlight Ways Barack Obama is Standing Up For American Women and Families

Today, the Obama campaign hosted a press conference with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to discuss Senator Obama and Senator Biden's record of fighting for issues of concern to women and American families.  Speaker Pelosi was joined by Representatives DeLauro, Diana DeGette, Jan Schakowsky, Linda Sanchez, Donna Edwards and close to 40 Democratic women members of Congress.  

From fighting for equal pay for equal work, to protecting retirement security and tacking the skyrocketing cost of health care, there is a stark difference on where the Obama-Biden campaign and the McCain-Palin campaigns stand on the critical issues facing America's women and families.  

The following are audio clips from today's news conference.  

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on the Change America's Women "Need, Expect And Deserve:"

"In the weeks ahead, we will be all over the country bringing a message of positive change, a new direction in America that addresses the economic concerns of the American people, in particular the economic concerns of America' working families and America's women.  And in recent weeks, we have seen the consequences of the mismanagement of the Bush Administration on our economy.  Yet, John McCain says the fundamentals of our economy are strong.  American women know better.  We are here today to focus on the change in America's economy. Barack Obama is the chance America's women need, expect and deserve."

Colorado Representative Diana DeGette on Senator McCain's Radical Health Care Plan:

"Under Senator McCain's health care plan more than 59 million women who receive health insurance through their job or spouse's job risk losing that insurance. More than 30 million women with employer sponsored health insurance who have a chronic condition could lose their health insurance and some of the requirements that some of us have fought so hard for at the state level--requiring maternity coverage and cancer screening and other coverages--would be wiped away under this plan.  The bottom line: Senator McCain's radical health care plan is risky and dangerous for American women.  

Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro on Equal Pay for Equal Work:
 
"Equal pay is at the heart of our debate for president and it has the power to make this a transformational election.  Today, women are getting paid less than men, but John McCain opposes equal pay for equal work. He says, don't worry. All you need to do is get more education and training to get better jobs. And that shows why he cannot rescue this economy or help women to lift themselves up in this economy.  When the Senate brought up the bill to remedy the Supreme Court's decision overturning Lily Ledbetter's pay discrimination claims to make sure it does not happen again, John McCain said he would oppose it.  When it came time to vote, he didn't even bother to show up."
 
Illinois Representative Jan Schakowsky on the Threat John McCain Poses to Social Security:

"Barack Obama believes that Social Security is the cornerstone of the Social Compact in this country and he promises to protect it today, tomorrow and forever.  John McCain says Social Security funding is an absolute disgrace. He simply doesn't get how it works in the first place.  And he support privatization.  In March, McCain said, I am totally in favor of personal savings accounts.  Barack Obama opposes Social Security privatization because it would gamble the retirement plans of millions of Americans.  We're talking about people over 65 years old.  We're talking about persons with disabilities.  We're talking about spouses and dependents, including my very own grandchildren, who lost their mother and are being helped by social security payments."  

California Representative Linda Sanchez on John McCain's Outreach to Women and the Health Care Crisis in America:
 
"Despite his campaign's outreach efforts I think that McCain's efforts to bridge the gender gap is about as effective as the bridge to nowhere.  And I want to take health care as an example.  The lack of universal health care coverage hits women especially hard.  There are over 20 million uninsured women in this country, and women are more likely than men to delay or not get medical care because of high costs.  Health care premiums have doubled in the last seven years alone.  No wonder only 27 percent of women are very confident that they'll be able to afford health care for themselves and their families.  And, what does John McCain offer these women?  John McCain offers a health care plan that would, for the first time in our country's history, tax health care benefits. And John McCain's plan won't even make a major dent in the number of uninsured Americans."

Maryland Representative Donna Edwards on Economic Opportunity and Domestic Violence:

"I know I wouldn't have gone to college if my father, who was disabled, hadn't been able to receive Social Security and we hadn't been able to receive benefits as children.  This is important not as a ceiling, but as a floor and Barack Obama understands that.  For America's women, for America's children, we understand that we want to live in our homes and in a home that's free of violence. Barack Obama, and certainly Joe Biden, understand that.  They understand that when women live in homes that are filled with violence and when children withness that violence that it impacts how they perform in the workplace. It impacts how they are able to take care of themselves and their children.  Barack Obama understands that.  John McCain doesn't."

Susan Turnbull

Hi. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. My dad was an immigrant cab driver, and my mom worked in a department store. They worked hard and built a good life for their children. They showed us the importance of being good citizens. They also taught us that no place in the world offered more opportunity than America.

I stand before you as a woman who has seen how this opportunity can lift people up. And when I see Barack Obama and Joe Biden, I see the same decency and values that my hard-working parents taught me.

I see the wonderful promise of America, and I see the opportunity of a lifetime to bring about the change we need.

I’m a Democrat because I believe in the power of opportunity.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden will fight, so that all Americans can pursue their dreams. And that’s change we can all believe in.

Vice Presidential Nomination Speech: Quincy Lucas

Quincy Lucas, Delaware

My name is Quincy Lucas. My sister Witney was my best friend. In 2003, she was murdered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. I later learned that she was one of 58 women who lost their lives to domestic violence in Maryland alone that year.

Violence against women often happens in the shadows, out of public view. Since that time, I’ve devoted my life to bringing it into the light. But I can only speak so much. I realize that sometimes to change lives, you have to change the law.

Joe Biden heard my story. In 1994, he wrote the Violence Against Women Act, so every woman would have a place to turn for support. He’s constantly making sure it has the funding it needs. And today, countless women get a second chance at life because of Joe Biden.

So it is in memory of my sister and in the name of women all across this country, that I’m proud to place into nomination the name of Joe Biden to be our next vice president.

Thank you.