[[link removed]] Ms. Memo: This Week in Women's Rights
May 15, 2025
From the ongoing fight for abortion rights and access, to elections, to the drive for the Equal Rights Amendment, there are a multitude of battles to keep up with. In this weekly roundup, find the absolute need-to-know news for feminists.
Critical Programs for Women and Families Face Deep Cuts in House Budget Bill [[link removed]]
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(Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
By Ms. Editors | A sweeping budget bill moving quickly through the House threatens to make draconian cuts to Medicaid and SNAP—two of the nation’s most vital programs for women and children.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has set May 26 as the deadline to pass the budget reconciliation bill, a measure being advanced under rules that prevent a Senate filibuster and allow passage without bipartisan support. The bill is being framed as “all or nothing” legislation by Republican leadership—a vehicle designed to pass the entire Trump agenda without needing Democratic votes.
Behind closed doors, the proposed budget includes major reductions to Medicaid and food assistance programs, changes that would disproportionately impact women, children, seniors and low-income families.
The changes are being presented by proponents as necessary for fiscal responsibility. But policy experts and advocates warn that the real consequences would be severe: Millions could lose access to healthcare, and many families could face increased food insecurity.
And their goal is tax cuts: $2 trillion for the super-wealthy and corporations. In exchange, they will rip the roof off the house and let the rain pour in on the rest of us: slashing funds for older women—our mothers, grandmothers and aunts who are in nursing homes; children at the kitchen table, waiting for dinner or for their school lunch; women’s bodies—pregnant, aging, ailing—needing medical care.
Here is what they won’t say out loud.
(Click here to read more) [[link removed]]
Read more:
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The National Science Foundation Canceled Our Grant Because It Focused on Women [[link removed]] Texas Lawmakers Propose Abortion Pill Bill that Can’t be Challenged in State Courts [[link removed]]
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The Pentagon Is Ending its Women, Peace and Security Program. America’s Security Will be Impacted. [[link removed]] Can Unconditional Cash Transfers Help Reduce Poverty? [[link removed]]
What we're reading:
Because it's hard to keep up with everything going on in the world right now. Here's what we're reading this week:
* "‘Fight back’: journalist taking Trump administration to court calls for media to resist attacks" — The Guardian [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin on
Apple Podcasts [[link removed]] + Spotify [[link removed]] .
Despite persistent obstacles—from intergenerational pay inequity and earning just 63.7 cents for every dollar made by a white guy for the same work, to constant surveillance and doubt—Black women consistently excel in their chosen fields and rise to leadership positions. In this episode, we’re joined by powerful Black women in leadership to discuss the glass ceilings, glass cliffs, pink ghettos, and other obstacles they’ve faced—and the strategies they’ve used to triumph against the odds.
We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!
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