In celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting the work that President Biden and Vice President Harris are doing every day to fight for women across America — from working to protect reproductive freedom to securing economic equity and opportunity. At the same time, MAGA Republicans up and down the ballot are trying to turn back the clock and undermine women’s rights. 

DNC Director of Outreach Communications Tracy King released the following statement: 

“On Equal Pay Day and every day, the Biden-Harris administration is making progress on their commitment to eliminate the persistent gender wage gap, from appointing women to senior roles in government to enforcing pay transparency, lowering the high costs of child care, and boosting resources to support women-owned businesses. The Biden-Harris administration understands that pay disparities are even wider for women of color, including Black women, Latinas, Native American women and Asian American women, and remains committed to addressing this imbalance to improve women’s wages and help close gender and racial wage gaps. Meanwhile, when Donald Trump was in office, he fought a federal judge to roll back paycheck and sexual assault protections in the workplace and excluded the most vulnerable families from child tax breaks, and has described working mothers as an “inconvenience.” Trump was proud to roll back the clock on economic protections for women, and he will pay for it at the ballot box this November.”

President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting to achieve pay equity and salary transparency so that women of all backgrounds finally get paid what they deserve. 

ABC News: “Democrats push to close gender gap on Equal Pay Day”

“President Joe Biden marked Equal Pay Day with an event at the White House on Tuesday, using it to tout the number of women in his own administration and the history makers he has tapped to fill prominent posts.”

White House Fact Sheet: “The Administration remains committed to working with states to expand pay transparency legislation to more workers. Yesterday, the White House convened state legislators who are working to advance bills this session that would prohibit the use of salary history by employers in setting pay, along with other pay transparency legislation. These new efforts build on the 16 states plus Puerto Rico with salary history bans and eight states with laws requiring salary range transparency in job announcements.” 

NBC News: “Biden moves to shrink gender pay gap for federal employees”

“‘Banning the use of prior salary history can help break the cycle of past arbitrary and potentially discriminatory pay that can follow women and workers of color from job to job, entrenching gender and racial pay gaps over time,’ the White House said in its announcement.”

The Biden administration has invested $70 million into the nation’s 160 Women Business Centers, which provide funding, training, and mentorship opportunities to women entrepreneurs.

Spectrum News: “President Joe Biden on Monday announced new resources to support women small business owners at the second annual Women’s Business Summit.

“At the event, hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Biden announced the agency will expand its Women Business Centers network — centers ‘specifically designed to assist women, providing training, mentoring, business development, and financing opportunities,’ the White House said — by an additional 15 locations, bringing the total to 160 centers nationwide, ‘the largest number in all of American history.’”

INC Mag: “The White House to Expand Women’s Business Centers to Every U.S. State” 

“Female entrepreneurs own 12 million businesses around the country–and they also created almost half of the new businesses started in 2021, according to the White House.

“‘We’re seeing a small-business boom–with a record 10.5 million new small-business filings in 2021 and 2022,’ White House deputy communications director Herbie Ziskend told Inc. ‘Today’s event is about lifting up this small-business boom, and the success of entrepreneurs and women-led small businesses.’”

“The Biden administration has invested around $70 million into the WBC network, the White House says.”

Two of President Biden’s flagship legislative wins — the CHIPS and Science Act and the American Rescue Plan — are easing the financial strain of accessing child care providers. 

CNN: “America funded nationwide child care during WWII. Here’s how Biden is trying to revive that effort” 

“Currently, the federal government subsidizes child care for low-income families through programs like the Child Care and Development Fund and Head Start programs.”

“Last year, lawmakers passed the CHIPS and Science Act, which invests more than $200 billion over five years to help the US bring back semiconductor chip manufacturing from places like China. The law is not specifically about child care, but now the Commerce Department is requiring some companies to also provide access to child care in order to be eligible for the money.”

“In February, the Biden administration added the child care provision. Companies seeking certain grants over $150 million must also submit a plan to provide their facility and construction workers with access to affordable, high-quality child care, according to the government’s guidance.”

White House Fact Sheet: “Today, the White House announced that the American Rescue Plan – through its historic $24 billion Child Care Stabilization Program – has already provided vital aid to help more than 200,000 child care providers keep their doors open to as many as 9.5 million children, helping their parents work. Stabilization funds have already assisted providers employing more than 1 million child care workers.”

The Biden-Harris administration delivered several historic child and dependent tax credits to support millions of working families.

White House Fact Sheet: “State-by-State Analysis of American Rescue Plan Tax Credits for Families and Workers”

CNBC: “Just one child tax credit payment reduced financial anxiety for 56% of families”

“For 56% of families, receiving just the first monthly child tax credit payment in July reduced financial anxiety, according to a recent survey from ParentsTogether Action, a national parenting organization. More than half of those surveyed said the payment was a ‘huge deal,’ and another 40% said it was ‘helpful’ to their family budget.”

“The American Rescue Plan earlier this year expanded the existing child tax credit, adding advance monthly payments and increasing the benefit to $3,000 from $2,000 with a $600 bonus for kids under the age of 6 for the 2021 tax year.”

CNBC: “This lesser-known tax credit may offer working families a bigger write-off this year”

“Previously, families could claim up to $3,000 in expenses per dependent for a maximum of $6,000. However, the American Rescue Plan raised the eligible costs for 2021 to $8,000 per dependent, capped at $16,000.

“This year, families may receive up to 50% of those expenses as a refundable credit, depending on income, meaning it may reduce their tax bill or offer a refund, regardless of liability.” 

Donald Trump rolled back paycheck transparency and sexual assault protections in the workplace. 

Trump to a young woman asking about equal pay: “You’re going to make the same if you do as good a job.”

NBC News: “Trump Pulls Back Obama-Era Protections For Women Workers”

“With little notice, President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order that advocates say rolls back hard-fought victories for women in the workplace.”

“The Fair Pay order was put in place after a 2010 Government Accountability Office investigation showed that companies with rampant violations were being awarded millions in federal contracts. … In an attempt to keep the worst violators from receiving taxpayer dollars, the Fair Pay order included two rules that impacted women workers: paycheck transparency and a ban on forced arbitration clauses for sexual harassment, sexual assault or discrimination claims.”

Trump’s child tax breaks excluded lower income children, most negatively affecting children of color and the children of single mothers.

New York Times: “The Tax Break for Children, Except the Ones Who Need It Most” 

“But children with the greatest economic needs are least likely to benefit.”

“While Republicans say the increase shows concern for ordinary families, 35 percent of children fail to receive the full $2,000 because their parents earn too little, researchers at Columbia University found. A quarter get a partial sum and 10 percent get nothing. Among those excluded from the full credit are half of Latinos, 53 percent of blacks and 70 percent of children with single mothers.”

It’s no wonder Donald Trump’s child care plan was “regressive” toward working families — has described working mothers as an “inconvenience.”

Trump: “She’s not giving 100 percent, she’s giving me 84 percent, and 16 percent is going towards taking care of children. So maybe you can also understand the employer’s point of view.”

NBC News: “Trump in 2004: Pregnancy Is an ‘Inconvenience’ to Employers”

“Donald Trump has said that pregnancy is ‘wonderful’ – unless you’re an employer.”

“And whether people want to say that or not, the fact is it is an inconvenience for a person that is running a business.”

Center for American Progress: “However, President Trump’s child care plan would provide an estimated $5.55 for a typical family of four in the areas that swung the election in his favor.*

“The core of the Trump child care plan is a tax deduction for child care expenses, an innately regressive approach that assumes all families can afford to pay the full cost of child care to begin with. As many experts have noted, this means that the Trump plan gives the most help to the people who need it the least. Meanwhile, the families who are hoping for child care assistance so that they can work would get next to nothing—all at the expense of a big new tax cut for the wealthy.”

New York Times: “Trump Administration Scales Back Paid Leave in Coronavirus Relief Law” 

Politico: “A lack of child care is keeping women on unemployment rolls”