WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), along with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), introduced the Marshall Plan for Moms, a resolution to support mothers in the American workforce.
“In order to truly build an economy that is stronger than it was when this deadly pandemic hit, we must confront the crises facing working moms all across our nation and stop treating their time as both expendable and endless,” Duckworth said. “That’s why I’m introducing this resolution with Senator Klobuchar that recognizes the additional responsibilities that mothers have been handed throughout this pandemic and urges swift passage of a relief bill that includes provisions that support them, such as investments in paid leave and affordable childcare.
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“We must take action immediately to support working moms as we rebuild our economy,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This resolution recognizes that mothers have been pushed to their limits during the coronavirus pandemic, and we need to have their backs. There’s no time to waste as we work to pass a coronavirus relief package that will meet the needs of our nation’s moms, including a robust paid leave plan, affordable child care, and access to mental health support resources.”
“We applaud Senator Klobuchar for her leadership in addressing the economic fallout from nearly a million mothers leaving the workforce because of the pandemic,” said Erika Moritsugu, Vice President for Congressional Relations at the National Partnership for Women and Families. “The Marshall Plan for Moms calls for the care infrastructure, supportive workplaces, paid leave policies, rebuilding of the child care industry and gender and racial pay equities that will begin to address the systemic racism and gender inequality that has forced women out of the workforce. At a moment when moms are struggling through a pandemic wall, the Marshall Plan for Moms, shows someone is listening, cares and is taking action for them.”
Throughout the pandemic, women, especially mothers, have been disproportionately affected by job losses, bearing the brunt of the economic fallout. According to a report from the National Women’s Law Center, more than 2 million women have left the U.S. workforce since the pandemic began, with many forced to leave due to family considerations or because they work in industries that have been among the hardest-hit. In response, Klobuchar and Duckworth are urging their colleagues to pass the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which provides major funding for a comprehensive set of relief programs that will support mothers as they reenter the workforce.
The Marshall Plan for Moms calls for:
- A robust paid leave plan, which is essential to securing the physical health and financial health of families, including emergency paid leave policies that would create a path toward permanent paid leave solutions;
- Funding to rebuild and stabilize the child care industry, which is essential to economic recovery and bolstering women in the labor force;
- Major investments in our education systems, which must be made in order to safely reopen schools and campuses, providing funding to support and protect the safety and health of educators, support staff, students, and families;
- Recurring child benefits, and expanded and improved child tax credit and earned income tax credit to help reduce child poverty and provide economic security for families;
- An expanded unemployment insurance program that benefits struggling workers, including those experiencing long-term unemployment; and
- Access to mental health support for mothers, which is essential to maintaining the health of the family.
The Marshall Plan for Moms is championed in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY). Full resolution can be found here.
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