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Dear John,
We’re still in a government shutdown and there’s no end in sight. Essential programs to support women and families have either completely shuttered or are at risk of running out of funding as this shutdown goes on. The longer Congress holds out on negotiating, the more people will suffer—especially women and families. This is unacceptable.
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End the Shutdown Now
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Enough is enough. Members of Congress need to do their jobs and work for the everyday people who elected them.
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As the shutdown continues, it’ll hurt:
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Survivors. Trump shuttered the Justice Department’s grant-making offices, which provide critical funding for organizations that support survivors of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. In previous shutdowns, this office remained open because of its lifesaving mission.
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Child care programs. Head Start, the nation’s only federal early education program, is already facing devastating funding shortfalls as result of the shutdown. More than 65,000 children and families are at risk of losing safe, reliable child care if the shutdown extends past November 1, and Head Start’s predominantly female workforce will be forced to go without pay.
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Federal women workers. The Trump administration is using the shutdown as an excuse to lay off thousands more federal workers, the majority of whom seem to be women. For instance, one of the top targets during the shutdown is the Department of Education, which has a workforce that is 65% women. So far, nine in ten of its workers are furloughed and 466 staff have been laid off.
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Women in need of birth control. The Trump administration is using the shutdown as an excuse to fire nearly all the staff from the federal office that makes birth control more accessible to millions of low-income and vulnerable women.
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Women, babies, and families. Millions of postpartum people and their young children rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for food, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support. But as the shutdown continues, funding could run out for this critical program—putting approximately 7 million women, children, and babies at risk of going hungry.
Women and families deserve better. Tell Congress to end the shutdown and pass a funding bill that supports and protects women and families.
In solidarity,
Sydney Petersen
she/her
Senior Media Relations Manager
National Women's Law Center
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