“Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate the progress that women have made and recognize those who continue to make progress possible. As a nation, we have worked diligently to right many of the historical wrongs suffered by women.  During  the 111^th Congress, we championed many significant advances made by women.  We passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored the rights of women and other workers to challenge unfair pay and became the first bill that President Obama signed into law.  Additionally, the Paycheck Fairness Act, which provided more effective remedies to women who are not being paid equal wages for doing equal work, was also passed by the House of Representatives.

“93 women were elected to serve in the House and Senate, a record number of women serving our nation in Congress. As the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, I am proud to work side-by-side with 15 of those remarkable women whose contributions to our Caucus and Congress is invaluable.  This month, I hope we all take some time to recognize and congratulate the women in our lives that have made us who we are, and recommit ourselves to fighting for their equality and full inclusion into our society. I remain committed to fighting for women’s rights and recognize that doing so means upholding one of our nation’s founding principles: that we are all created equal.

“I applaud my colleagues for holding this special order hour in honor of Women’s History Month. While we have made great strides, there is still much work to be done and unfortunately, cuts proposed by the Republican leadership will disproportionately affect our most vulnerable communities including women and children. It is important that we work together to responsibly cut the deficit while ensuring the protection of hardworking American women.”