Democratic Women’s Caucus Announces Executive Steering Committee, Fighting for Women’s Rights Amidst a Second Trump Term
Photo by Simon Ray on Unsplash
Yesterday, Tuesday, January 21, the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) announced its Executive Steering Committee for the 119th Congress.
The DWC brings together Congresswomen from across the nation to create state and local support for women’s rights and opportunities, no matter where they live. Spearheading this mission are Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03) and Vice Chairs Emilia Sykes (OH-13) and Hillary Scholten (MI-03), leaders of the Executive Steering Committee which works to set and advance concrete action steps towards the DWC’s goals.
This Committee comes at a notable time in the organization’s history, as its members will lead the largest ever DWC at 96 women strong. “Together,” Chair Fernández and Vice Chairs Sykes and Scholten proclaimed, “we amplify the voices of the amazing 96 Democratic women in Congress and tell the stories of America’s women and the impact D.C. policies will have on their own fight for economic security and freedom for their families.” Among this Committee’s priorities are “lowering costs, protecting access to health care, and keeping women and girls safe from sexual violence and harassment.”
The Committee itself comprises a variety of positions, with a particular focus on representing diverse experiences. Some liaisons directly represent certain marginalized communities, including Black, Hispanic, and Asian Pacific American women. There is also a chair for Global Women’s Issues, expanding the DNC’s mission beyond America. Highlighting these diverse perspectives is particularly essential now in the wake of Monday’s inauguration, which has already ushered in a proclamation to end DEI initiatives.
Indeed, now more than ever, the DWC faces an even greater task in their fight for protecting women’s rights and gender equality. The Trump administration threatens women on a variety of fronts, the most pressing perhaps being abortion rights and access to reproductive resources following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Beyond abortion, the Trump term is predicted to restrict general women’s health-care, posing a particular risk to low-income women relying on public health-insurance programs.
While the Committee aims towards bipartisan solutions for their goals, they ultimately reject complacency to the new administration’s treatment of women’s rights. “Heading into the new Administration, we will seek bipartisan wins on these priorities whenever possible,” Chair Fernández and Vice Chairs Sykes and Scholten said. “But we’ll also call out President Trump and the Republican House, Senate, and Administration for any moves they make that betray American women and families.”
Below is the complete list of the DWC Executive Steering Committee for the 119th Congress.
Chair- Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández
Vice Chairs- Rep. Hillary Scholten, Rep. Emilia Sykes
Chair Emerita- Rep. Lois Frankel
Chief Whip- Rep. Nikema Williams
Whips- Rep. Sarah McBride, Rep. Emily Randall, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet
Policy Task Force Co-Chairs- Rep. Deborah Ross, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove
Communications Task Force Co-Chairs- Rep. Shontel Brown, Rep. Jasmine Crockett
Member Services Task Force Co-Chairs- Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Rep. Sara Jacobs
National Leaders & Advocacy Organizations Liaison- Rep. Joyce Beatty
Senate Liaison- Rep. Debbie Dingell
New Member Liaison- Rep. LaMonica McIver
Congressional Black Caucus Liaison- Rep. Lucy McBath
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Liaison- Rep. Andrea Salinas
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Liaison- Rep. Pramila Jayapal
New Democrat Coalition Liaison- Rep. Norma Torres
Progressive Caucus Liaison- Rep. Jill Tokuda
Equality Caucus Liaison- Rep. Julie Johnson
Global Women’s Issues Task Force Chair- Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
Servicewomen, Women Veterans, & Military Families Task Force Chair- Rep. Chrissy Houlahan
Reproductive Health Care Task Force Co-Chairs & Liaisons- Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Kelly Morrison
