Written by Steph Sterling
Director of Government Relations and Senior Advisor
National Women's Law Center
I’ve lived in Washington for about a decade now, and, over time, I’ve gotten used to its rhythms—January excitement over snow days when Bob Ryan predicts more than two inches; October chitchat about where we’re spending vacation days, on our own time, to help out in key races; April complaints about lobby days and a certain retiring Member of Congress who holds the key to our appropriations hearts. But nothing compares to the end-of-summer ritual when Members of Congress return to Washington at the end of August recess.
Yes, it’s true. This week marks the end of August recess and the beginning of the end of the 111th Congress. With election season already in high gear, Members of Congress are planning to leave town in early October or possibly late September, so they can go back to their states and Districts to campaign. That means that we have just a few weeks to get Congress to take action on some key priorities for women. So, what are we fighting for? And what do we expect to see happen?
Passing the Paycheck Fairness Act
Today, women make just 77 cents for every dollar a man makes — that’s an average of $10,622 in lost wages every year. For many women and their families, ending the wage gap would buy a year’s supply of groceries, three months of child care, or six months of health insurance. The Paycheck Fairness Act would give women new tools to challenge pay discrimination in the workplace and help to address the wage gap. It’s already passed the House and we are hearing that the Senate may—may—take it up in September. Time is running out. This one is critical.
Stopping the Johanns Amendment
The first bill up in the Senate next week is the Small Business Jobs Act, and one of the first votes will be on an amendment offered by Senator Johanns to repeal a part of the Affordable Care Act. The details are complicated—you can get more information here—but the bottom line is this: the Johanns Amendment is the opening salvo in the "death by a thousand cuts" strategy we’ll be seeing again and again from health reform opponents. It has to stop here.
Letting the Bush Tax Cuts for Wealthiest Expire, Extending Tax Benefits for Struggling Families
The Bush-era tax cuts and recent improvements in tax credits for lower-income families are set to expire at the end of the year, and President Obama recently reaffirmed his plan to deal with them. Our take? Obama’s plan—to let tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent of Americans expire while extending tax cuts for middle- and lower-income families—is the right approach. We’ll be looking to moderate Members on both sides of the aisle to do what’s right—for women and their families, the economy, and the deficit—this fall.
Investing in Child Care and Head Start
Congress still has to pass appropriations bills to fund the government for the fiscal year that starts October 1. We’ve won approval in the House and Senate appropriations processes for much-needed increases in child care, Head Start and Early Head Start, and other early learning initiatives, but we haven’t crossed the finish line yet.
Preventing Cuts to the Safety Net
Unless Congress takes action, funding for child support enforcement, a program that serves over 17 million children, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Fund will be cut this fall. A bill to prevent cuts to child support enforcement has bipartisan support in the Senate, and both Republican and Democratic governors have praised the effectiveness of the TANF emergency fund () in creating jobs – so we’re cautiously optimistic.
Confirming Goodwin Liu
Professor Goodwin Liu is President Obama’s nominee to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is exceptionally qualified, has a brilliant legal mind, and has a demonstrated commitment to public service. He would increase the diversity of the federal bench and has bipartisan support—from the infamous Ken Starr, among others, for those of you old enough to remember the late 1990s. But, despite the fact that the seat he is up for has been designated a "judicial emergency," Professor Liu’s nomination had been pending for months. We’re doing everything we can to get the Senate to confirm Professor Liu. It’s time to end the nomination shenanigans.
Lifting the Ban on Abortion Care at Military Facilities
Before leaving town, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved a Department of Defense authorization bill that included an amendment offered by Senator Burris to lift the ban on women using their own, private funds to pay for abortion care at military facilities. The House-passed bill left this discriminatory policy in place. We’ll be fighting to protect the Burris Amendment on the Senate floor and during House-Senate negotiations and make sure that military women have the same access to abortion care as women here at home. You’ll probably hear more about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell than you will about the Burris Amendment, but be sure to keep this one on your radar.
These are the key issues we’re watching—and fighting for—to help women and their families. But remember: everyone in Washington is scrambling to get their "must-do’s" done in the next four weeks, too. It’s crunch time, my friends. So check back regularly for how it’s going and what you can do to make a difference.