Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-HI) will soon be the first U.S. Senator in history to give birth while in office. But under Senate rules, if Sen. Duckworth takes any maternity leave, she will be unable to perform the most essential aspects of her job—voting and sponsoring legislation.

And if she’s not on leave, Sen. Duckworth will miss votes when she’s breastfeeding because the Senate rules deny floor privileges to family members, and nursing infants are considered family members. These are patriarchal and patently unfair rules and certainly do not reflect family values.

Is the U.S. Senate stuck in the 50’s—the 1850’s?

News flash for Mitch McConnell–you can’t put the “no girls allowed” sign back up in the Senate. Modernize the rules to allow women to work while caring for their children.

But even as important, do something for all the working women—particularly for women who work in low-wage jobs, predominantly women of color, who urgently need workplaces that provide reasonable accommodations for working mothers. This is your chance to provide family friendly workplaces, and exhibit true American family values.

Contact

Emily Imhof, press@now.org, 951-547-1241

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) has announced that his House Oversight Committee has opened an investigation into the Trump Administration’s employment of Rob Porter, seeking to discover when the FBI told the White House about the allegations of domestic violence against him. That’s not nearly good enough. We already know the answer to that question.

The Oversight Committee is being incredibly short-sighted and protectionist when it comes to this White House.The staff at the FBI is not the problem. The staff at the White House is the problem. We need to know more about John Kelly’s and Don McGahn’s roles in covering up for Rob Porter and perpetuating a culture of enabling abusive men—starting with the mysoginist-in-chief in the Oval Office. Chairman Gowdy, call John Kelly and Don McGahn before your committee. Ask them why their first inclination is to believe and condone abusers, and not the women they’ve abused.

Contact

Emily Imhoff, press@now.org, 951-547-1241

Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

In public, Donald Trump has nothing but praise for Rob Porter, calling him “wonderful,” “strong” and “innocent.” This is Donald Trump’s pattern. From Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly to Roy Moore and Mike Tyson, Trump ignores the accuser and portrays the accused as the real victim.

Donald Trump needs to know the consequences of his words and actions. Women and men around the nation who are in the throes of relationship violence cannot/must not be ignored or demeaned by anyone, and certainly not by the President of the United States. He has inexcusably defended the batterers and questioned the veracity of the victims in order to cater to his base. Polls show that even women in his “base” have just about had it with his disdain and misogyny. The elections this November will send the message.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline estimates that one in three women are abused in their lifetimes. We know that intimate partner violence can be a precursor to acts of murderous rage—the Boston Marathon bomber, the Pulse nightclub shooter, and the Sutherland Springs shooter all had histories of relationship violence.

Donald Trump’s White House is riven by a cover-up culture of men protecting men and disbelieving women. At least 19 women have come forward accusing Donald Trump of sexual misconduct, but the White House calls their accounts “false claims” and Kellyanne Conway said over the weekend they have “had their day.” In essence, “He won, you lost, so shut up.”

NOW supports Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s call for Congressional hearings to give Donald Trump’s accusers the “due process” Trump claims to uphold. What’s more, we need to hold the enabler-in-chief accountable for an upside-down culture where women who unmask sexual predators and perpetrators of domestic violence see their careers ruined, their livelihood threatened and their health compromised, while men get huge paydays for leaving the spotlight.

Furthermore, NOW renews our call for John Kelly to resign or be fired as Chief of Staff. And instead of appointing a crony like Mick Mulvaney or Chris Christie to replace him, NOW proposes that a strong, capable woman with a record that includes standing up for victims of domestic violence and abuse be selected to replace him.

Contact

Emily Imhoff, press@now.org, 951-547-1241