Good afternoon,
Late Friday night, the Senate passed the <a href="[link removed]">six-bill funding "minibus"</a> and sent it for President Biden's signature to dodge a shutdown of the Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, and Transportation departments. The clock has now started ticking for the remaining six bills, which are due March 22.
In the midst of the overdue 2024 funding, President Biden has sprung forward and released his <a href="[link removed]">2025 budget</a> on time. Echoing the sentiments in his <a href="[link removed]">State of the Union address</a>, here are some of his priorities:
Expand workforce training and provide pathways to in-demand jobs for more Americans;
Connect more rural Americans to high-speed, affordable, and reliable internet;
Promote maternal health and health equity, and expand access to treatment for substance use disorders;
Lower energy costs and catalyze clean energy and economic growth in rural communities;
Bolster the nutrition safety net; Increase climate resilience and other conservation practices in agriculture;
Reduce housing insecurity and strengthen climate resiliency in rural communities; and
Support better delivery of services to rural America and the nation's farmers.
Here's what else you need to know this week...
EQUAL PAY DAY AND PAID FAMILY LEAVE
It's equal pay day. With women earning only 84 cents for every dollar men earn, women in the U.S. have to work an additional 72 days to make as much money as men made in 2023. In other words, women would have to work six years to earn as much as men make in only five.
And thanks to <a href="[link removed]">occupational segregation</a>, devaluation of women's work, and other maddening forms of discrimination, Black and Latina women make even less - <a href="[link removed]">69.8 and 64.6 cents</a> less, respectively.
Part of the reason women are paid less than men is because they take more leave - 34 days versus 21 days - a discrepancy driven primarily because women take, on average, <a href="[link removed]">54 days of leave</a> when welcoming a new child, whereas men take only 18 days. These caretaking responsibilities incur what's known as the "motherhood penalty."
Paid family leave (PFL) may be able to help close the gap. The United States is <a href="[link removed]">one of only seven countries</a> without national paid maternity leave, forcing Americans to take unpaid leave or leave the workforce entirely and costing them an estimated <a href="[link removed]">$22.5 billion</a> in wages every year.
OCP proposed including a program that would support <a href="[link removed]">12 weeks of paid family and medical leave</a> in the Farm Bill.
Providing new parents with paid time off to care for newborns or newly adopted children <a href="[link removed]">contributes</a> to healthy development, improves maternal health, and enhances economic security. The reduction in financial stress and insecurity increases the likelihood of a return to the workforce - improving worker retention, increasing productivity, and boosting workforce participation - and ensures <a href="[link removed]">greater family stability</a>.
Most recently, a family medical leave bill <a href="[link removed]">passed</a> in the Virginia Legislature. Governor Glenn Youngkin has until April 8 to sign the bill, which would guarantee 8 weeks of paid leave for Virginians. <a href="[link removed]">Learn about the status of paid leave in your state</a>.
WORKING WOMEN
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its <a href="[link removed]">February jobs report</a> last Friday, on International Women's Day.
275,000 jobs were added to the labor market in February, contributing to the 15 million jobs created under President Biden's administration. Women suffered <a href="[link removed]">greater job losses</a> than men during the Covid-19 pandemic, but have since driven post-pandemic job growth to <a href="[link removed]">surpass March 2020 levels</a>. Some of these jobs have been driven by the <a href="[link removed]">increase in women-owned businesses</a> across the nation.
But in order for women to keep opening small businesses, creating jobs, and bolstering their local economies, they need policies like paid family leave that are <a href="[link removed]">pro-worker and pro-family</a>. <a href="[link removed]">Read OCP's full statement here</a>.
ICYMI
CNN: <a href="[link removed]">Prices ticked higher in February, but there's good news at grocery store</a>
Paid for by One Country Project
This email was sent by One Country Project [[link removed]]
One Country Inc
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE
#15180
Washington, DC 20003
United States
One Country Project is a 501(c)(4). Contributions to One Country Project are not tax-deductible. They support our efforts to promote greater opportunities for rural communities.
Email is an important way for One Country Project to keep supporters like you informed about critical issues and to build a winning grassroots campaign. Too much email? Switch to our less email option [[link removed]] or unsubscribe here [[link removed]] .
You can also update your name, email, or mailing address. [[link removed]] Questions or concerns? Contact us here [[link removed]] .
[link removed] [[link removed]]
