[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13340-13341]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         BUSH'S RECORD ON WOMEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise to also share with my 
colleagues two incredibly important studies that greatly impact women 
all around this country. These reports published by the National 
Women's Law Center and the National Council of Research on Women 
clearly demonstrate that women's fundamental rights in this country are 
under attack by this administration's politics and policies.
  Since 2000, the Bush administration has been slowly chipping away at 
many of the hard won gains for women. This new data demonstrates that 
since his first few months in office, President Bush has used the power 
of his Presidency to manipulate, obstruct, and censor information that 
directly affects women's lives.
  Priorities have been changed, funding has been cut, research findings 
have been distorted and social differences and inequalities have been 
masked. American women have a fundamental right to seek public 
information that is clear, easily accessible, and not contaminated by 
ideology.
  And I am particularly concerned about the lack of information 
regarding violence against women. Violence against women is a serious 
problem that affects women and families nationwide. An estimated 1.5 
million women are physically assaulted or raped by their partners every 
year.
  Women who suffer from violence depend on local services and health 
care providers to help them through their physical and emotional pain. 
Nationally battered women's shelters serve more than 300,000 women and 
their families, even though there is a far greater number who seek this 
assistance. These shelters and health care services are critical for 
women, victims of violence.
  In the year 2000, the Violence Against Women Act mandated that the 
Attorney General conduct a national study of discrimination against 
domestic violence victims when they try to sign up for health 
insurance. This report would offer new insight into better ways that 
our Nation can serve domestic violence victims and help us understand 
the many struggles that women victims face day-to-day. This report, by 
the way, was due back in October of 2001 and here it is now, June of 
2004. Where is the report?
  I would also like to bring attention to the fact that the 
administration's healthy marriage proposal for the welfare 
reauthorization bill failed to include important protections for 
battered women in marriage protection programs.
  In addition, $1.8 billion in Federal and State funds that were 
allocated for these healthy marriage programs targeted at low income 
couples would come out of funds already squeezed from child care, job 
training, and transportation services. These services are especially 
critical for low income women.
  But this is not the first time low income women's rights have been 
targeted by this administration. The new reports by women advocates 
also clearly demonstrate how the Bush administration's tax policy 
failed women in order to pay for tax cuts for the very wealthy.
  The administration's budget proposes over $191 billion in new tax 
cuts over the next 5 years, primarily for the benefit of the wealthiest 
in our country. These benefits for the rich come at the mercy of deep 
cuts in domestic programs.
  Just look at the cuts in housing, for example. Affordable housing is 
essential to ensuring that women have equal opportunity in our society 
and have stable homes in which to raise their children. Currently 28 
percent of women-headed families have critical housing problems. Yet 
because of the Bush administration's policy, next year 250,000 
families, most of whom are headed by women raising children, will lose 
important housing vouchers. Within 5 years, 800,000 families could lose 
their housing vouchers.
  We also cannot forget that the administration excluded millions of 
low income working families from the increase in the child tax credit 
of 2003. Over 7 million families with incomes between $10,500 and 
$26,500 were denied in the 2003 increase in the child tax credit signed 
by President Bush. Two-thirds of those parents were hurt by this 
exclusion, in particular, women, disproportionately single mothers, 
women of color, and married women who were out of work.
  It is clear that the Bush administration does not enforce policies 
that help women make economic strides. Women deserve better treatment 
by this administration. After all, we represent well over 50 percent of 
the population. And it is time that we stand up against

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these policies and politics that are eroding our rights as women.

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