Phil Connors couldn't avoid doing the same thing over and over again each day in the film Groundhog Day, with hilarious results. House Republicans marked Groundhog Day today by taking their 63rd vote to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act, and the 12th vote this Congress to restrict women's access to health care – no laughing matter. Under Speaker Ryan, House Republicans are continuing their obsession with interfering in a woman's right to make her own decisions about her body and her health. They should stop wasting taxpayers' time and money, and instead focus on expanding access to quality, affordable health care for everyone. Enough is enough. Read more »
During the month of February we honor the contributions of African Americans who have immeasurably enriched our nation's political, educational, cultural and economic fabric, and who have continually helped to perfect our union since its inception. Read more »
President Obama's signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, his first after taking office, signaled to women across the country that equal pay for equal work was one of his Administration's and Congressional Democrats' top priorities. As a mother of two daughters who by one study will not see equal pay with their male counterparts until they are 59 and 55 years old, respectively, I am proud to have been an original cosponsor of that bill. Read more »
On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which also marks the 71st anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, let us recommit ourselves to honoring the lives we lost, the heroes still with us, and the indisputable tenet that these atrocities never happen again. Read more »
Only 72 hours have passed since the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and Republican politicians in Tallahassee wasted no time pursuing their obsession over interfering with a woman's right to make her own decisions about her body and her health. This bill would not only harm women's access to family planning services, but it would also endanger their ability to obtain life-saving services like cancer screenings. Instead of engaging in politically-motivated attacks based on illegal and altered videos, these lawmakers should be working to expand women's access to quality, affordable health care. Read more »
Today's news that two members of the Center for Medical Progress have been indicted for their role in last year's altered and illegal videos comes as no surprise. This grand jury investigation has unmasked for everyone exactly who was engaging in illegal activities. As we saw in Colorado Springs, these falsified videos put women's health care and lives at risk, and I call on Speaker Ryan to immediately disband the House Select Investigative Panel on Planned Parenthood. I will continue working every day to stop politicians from interfering in women's health care decisions - those decisions should be between a woman and her doctor Read more »
As we celebrate the anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision that protects a woman's right to make her own reproductive health choices, we are so grateful for all the mothers, sisters, daughters and friends whose lives have been saved by the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Thanks to this core constitutional right, women no longer have to suffer through dangerous procedures that irreparably harmed them, or in many cases, killed them - just to have control over their own bodies. Read more »
As a mother of two children who will be college freshmen soon and who represents thousands of families with children, I am elated that S.B. 68 will not be moving through the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee. This morning I stood with Senator Chris Smith, Senator Maria Sachs, Rep. Lori Berman and a coalition of concerned advocates and students to denounce this bill and its companion, H.B. 4001. We have a national epidemic of gun violence, and we know that college kids are still navigating life outside their home for the first time. We need more funding for security personnel and universal background checks on college campuses – not carry permits. This was the right decision and I'm glad Senator Diaz de la Portilla recognized that this was a dangerous step in the wrong direction. Read more »
Today Americans come together and pay tribute to one of our nation's most important leaders in the quest for social justice and equality, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His teachings of nonviolence, peace and love have resonated with countless millions of Americans as we seek to bend the arc of history and expand freedom here at home and around the world. The arc has not bent easily; our nation is accustomed to setbacks and obstacles. But we have worked tirelessly to overcome them and move our nation forward. Dr. King believed that the government had a fundamental responsibility to meet the needs of its people. During President Obama's administration, we have advanced many of those pressing priorities, from making our nation a more inclusive and free place for people of all races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and genders; to expanding quality, affordable health care to those who need it most; and acting decisively on climate change to leave our planet a better place for the generations who will follow us. Read more »
Yesterday, the United States, our P5+1 negotiating partners and Iran officially announced the full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). After years of negotiations and hard-hitting sanctions culminated in a diplomatic agreement last summer, Iran's nuclear weapons' development operations have finally been shuttered. On Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran fulfilled its commitments under the JCPOA, including dismantling more than half its centrifuges, disabling the Arak nuclear reactor, and eliminating almost all of its highly enriched uranium stockpile. I commend the tireless work of Secretaries John Kerry, Ernest Moniz, Jack Lew, and Undersecretary Wendy Sherman and their entire team. In accordance with the agreement, the United States and our negotiating partners will lift certain sanctions against Iran that relate to individuals and entities involved in its nuclear program. Going forward, the international community will have the most intrusive inspection regime on the ground in Iran to verify its compliance. Read more »
