President Obama's nomination of Dr. Carla D. Hayden as the next Librarian of Congress is an important step forward for one of our nation's most important national treasures. The Library of Congress is a world-renowned institution that helps Americans learn and understand our history – and it is fitting that Dr. Hayden is exceptionally qualified in helping Americans of all walks of life learn and understand their world, no matter where they live. Read more »
Today I am thinking of, and sending my love and strength to my friend and colleague, Senator Claire McCaskill and her family as she heads to St. Louis for her breast cancer treatment. Senator McCaskill is a consummate public servant and tenacious fighter who will battle her cancer with the spirit and determination that we have all come to admire and respect. Read more »
However, yesterday's ruling only further underscores the importance of the United States Supreme Court's impending decision in Zubik v. Burwell, a case for which the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in only a few weeks. I was proud to join 123 Democratic Members of Congress in an amicus brief in Zubik v. Burwell, which urged the Court to uphold the current accommodation and protect contraceptive coverage for all women. Read more »
As Members of Congress representing South Florida, we are proud and honored that Attorney General Loretta Lynch is highlighting the progress in our area in building and improving upon the relationships between law enforcement and our communities. President Obama and Attorney General Lynch's leadership during these trying times has been inspiring and resilient. Read more »
President Obama's final budget is a substantive proposal and strong statement of our values that would expand opportunity to more working families and make investments in some of our nation's most pressing areas like education from quality pre-K to affordable college; as well as climate change and Social Security and Medicare. As a cancer survivor, I am particularly pleased with the Administration's request for $755 million for Vice President Biden's moonshot effort to ensure fewer families experience the heartbreak the Bidens, and so many others, have suffered as a result of cancer. As a woman and a mother, I am also thrilled that President Obama has recommended a $14 million increase in funding for the Title X family-planning program. Read more »
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 »
