Many women and families are hurting in this fragile economy. The unemployment rate among women is the highest in a quarter-century. As many as 300,000 children are at risk of losing access to affordable child care. Yet much of the talk in Washington is about reducing the deficit and cutting programs that serve women and their families, even as the wealthiest Americans receive billions of dollars in tax breaks.
That’s not the right prescription for fixing the ailing economy. We will fight for policies that promote economic growth, create jobs, and support the economic well-being of women and families. We will work to protect and improve programs that give vital support to women and children, such as Social Security and child care assistance, and for fair and responsible tax policy.
Throughout the last two-year session of Congress, the Center fought hard for these programs and more. We spearheaded the effort to expand funding for child care and Head Start in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, leading to the largest increase in federal funding for these programs in a decade.
We were instrumental in securing significant improvements in the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit in the same legislation and in winning a two-year extension of those improvements in the tax bill signed into law by the President last week. We helped secure billions of dollars in incentive payments for states to expand unemployment insurance coverage for women and low-wage workers, which 39 states have taken advantage of already.
In the coming year, we will fight for women’s economic security by:
Ensuring that Social Security is protected and strengthened — not cut in the name of deficit-reduction
Pressing for fair and responsible tax reform that raises adequate revenues and requires those with the greatest ability to pay their fair share
Improving access to high-quality, affordable child care so parents can earn a living and children can succeed in school.
When the new session of Congress begins in January, with many more Members hostile to programs that will support women and families, we will have our work cut out for us. In its 38 years, the Center has faced similar challenges before and prevailed — and with your help, we’ll win again. Thanks in advance for your generous support.
Sincerely,
Nancy Duff Campbell Co-President National Women’s Law Center
Marcia Greenberger Co-President National Women’s Law Center
On Saturday in the Senate, we saw small-minded, heartless politicians show their true colors.
In an appalling show of callousness, the Senate stopped the DREAM Act. A few Republican senators broke from their party to stand with us on the side of justice, but the rest of them voted no. Even a handful of Democrats joined them in stalling the dreams of millions.
To every single Senator who voted against deserving youth: we will not forget this. And to the courageous Senators who stood with us: we won’t forget you either.
The courageous DREAMers will continue to lead and will continue to fight. The work you’ve done to stand with them and get this far won’t be forgotten. We won’t forget who stood up for us, and we’ll definitely remember who killed the DREAM.
This battle isn’t over. Not by a long shot. Our movement will always stand together, and we’ll never stop fighting.
Thank you,
Marissa Graciosa
We’re fighting to fix our broken immigration system, but we can’t win without you! contribute $30 today to sponsor 80 faxes and 100 calls to Congress.
On Saturday, 65 senators sent a message to the nation and the world: In the U.S. military, what matters is what you can do – not who you are.
But 31 senators made it clear that they would cling to old prejudice and time-worn hate – ignoring clear messages from the military’s top brass, the troops, and the American people.
Once President Obama signs this bill, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will no longer be the law of the land. The Department of Defense will then begin to phase it out. This shameful chapter in our nation’s history will be finished.
And you were critical in making it happen. The years of political groundwork laid by people like you, veterans and civilians alike, truly humble me. From the moment Eric Alva, the first soldier wounded in Iraq, came out publicly and began advocating with HRC to repeal this law… through two national tours of veterans speaking out against this policy… through 550,000 emails to congress, 20,000 phone calls in the past five weeks, 1,000 lobby visits… You made this happen.
It took every ounce of political will to overcome a filibuster attempt by John McCain and Senate Republican leaders, but you did it. This doesn’t mean our work is over. We need to make our voices heard once again, and calling your leaders right now – to say “thank you,” or express how disappointed you are – is a critical way to let them know we’re watching what they do.
I just wanted to remind you that tonight we’ll be live broadcasting a special interactive event about our climate campaign. During the broadcast, senior Greenpeace climate strategists will reflect on the past few years of the climate movement, map the post-election political moment and cultural atmosphere and with YOUR help, put the finishing touches on our plan going forward.
Write EPA and DOT today
Tell EPA and DOT to set strong regulations for cleaner trucks that will reduce our dependence on oil.
Urge EPA and DOT to clean up our nation’s trucks
Dear Carmen,
Thanks to UCS supporters like you, packages across the country are now spreading the word that our nation’s trucks should get a whole lot cleaner. But now it’s time to share our Ship it Green! holiday spirit with decision makers as well.
Please tell them that, from holiday packages shipped to far away friends and family, to the abundance of goods that crisscross our country daily, we deserve a truck fleet that minimizes pollution and oil use.
Trucks account for only four percent of all the vehicles on our nation’s roads, but they use 20 percent of our fuel. The technology already exists to make these vehicles cleaner, and everyone benefits when we have more efficient trucks on the roads—we get cleaner air and we can help break our dependence on oil.
So send a message to the EPA and DOT today—just think of it as a holiday card to our government telling them it’s okay to be a Scrooge when it comes to fuel consumption! Take Action Today!
Sincerely,
Scott Nathanson
National Field Organizer
UCS Clean Vehicles Program
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world.
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