[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1121-1122]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      WOMEN'S MARCH ON WASHINGTON

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I understand the majority leader may be 
coming to the floor to make a request. If he does, I certainly would be 
willing to yield to him, and I hope I won't lose my right to the floor.
  Mr. President, a lot has happened here in Washington in the last few 
days. Marcelle and I knew that a number of Vermonters were coming down 
for the Women's March on Washington. We said to them, ``Look, if any 
Vermonters are coming down, why don't you join us for coffee?'' We 
arranged it right here on Capitol Hill, so they could.
  At first, we didn't know how many would show up until we started 
getting the responses. Marcelle and I were there, along with members of 
my staff, shortly after 6 in the morning, and people started pouring 
in. Eventually, we had 500 or 600 from the little State of Vermont who 
joined us. I had a chance to speak to them.

[[Page 1122]]

  My wife, Marcelle, gave one of the most powerful speeches, totally 
ad-libbed, that I have heard, pointing out the stakes of what is 
happening in this country. Of course, she pointed to the Supreme Court 
just next door.
  What got me is that these people came from all walks of life in 
Vermont. Some I knew, and a lot I didn't. Some are Republicans. Some 
are Democrats. Some are Independents. All were very concerned. Most 
came down in buses and drove all through the night, a little over 500 
miles, to show that our brave little State says no to hate. We had 
thousands more who marched in my State capital, Montpelier. Let me put 
this in perspective. Our State capital--I was born there, and I know it 
very well--is home to only 8,500 people, but 15,000 Vermonters stood on 
our statehouse lawn to show the President that they are paying 
attention, they want their voices to be heard, and the American people 
will hold him accountable.
  I got some of the most enthusiastic emails and tweets. My 14-year-old 
granddaughter, Francesca, told me how thrilled she was to be there. One 
Vermonter who took part in the enormous Women's March in Montpelier 
told a member of my staff, ``This is the first time I have been able to 
smile since Election Day.''
  In Washington, Marcelle and I were proud to march with our daughter, 
Alicia, and 12-year-old granddaughter, Sophia. I was proud to see this 
12-year-old holding her head high, knowing the respect that was being 
shown to her and her mother, as well as to Marcelle and me. She knew 
that respect went to her in a way that reflected everybody--Black, 
White, no matter what you might be. People cared.
  We have heard disrespectful, offensive and dangerous comments seep 
into our national discourse. The millions of men and women who 
participated in marches across the country this weekend offered a 
powerful statement that they will not tolerate policies that restrict 
the rights of women or treat women like second-class citizens. They 
will not treat my wife as one, they will not treat my daughter as one, 
they will not treat my three wonderful granddaughters as one, and all 
five of our grandchildren will be treated the same.
  Unfortunately, the Trump administration ignored the voices of 
millions of Americans and is already undermining the rights of women. 
Two of the President's first Executive Orders targeted women. His first 
Executive Order attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, which 
throws into limbo the health insurance arrangements of millions of 
American women who have been guaranteed maternity coverage as part of 
their health care plans, who have been able to have affordable birth 
control for the first time, who have been able to tell insurance 
companies that no, pregnancy is not a preexisting condition. In other 
words, women can be treated the same as men when they seek insurance.
  President Trump also reinstated the so-called Mexico City policy, a 
policy that would be illegal and unconstitutional in this country--that 
will only result in more abortions and more pregnancy related deaths in 
developing countries. A former Republican Senator whom I respected 
highly, when he was chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee--he 
was strongly against abortion, but he said this kind of a policy is 
only going to result in more abortions and more pregnancy-related 
deaths in developing countries, and he is right. He is right. 
Affordable health care, affordable birth control, and the availability 
of these services would bring down abortion and pregnancy-related 
deaths, whether in the United States or the countries we help.
  Mr. President, Americans are watching. From what I heard and saw from 
Vermonters on Saturday, I could tell you that they are fired up and 
ready to go. We need a President who is committed to equality and 
opportunity for all people, no matter their sex, gender, or race. We 
will not stand for policies that turn back the clock on so much 
progress we have made. To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King, we have to 
accept finite disappointment, but we must not give up infinite hope. 
Only light can crowd out the darkness.
  I was proud to see so many Vermonters speaking up. They are not going 
away, and, as I pledged to them on Saturday, I am not going away. I am 
going to speak. I am going to speak the same way I did when Marcelle 
and I walked with our daughter and our granddaughter in the million 
women march. I will continue to speak up, as the people in my office in 
Vermont did, in Montpelier. I will speak up for all five of our 
grandchildren, for Francesca and Sophia and Fiona, but also for Patrick 
and Roan. I will speak up for all Americans. I will speak up for all 
Vermonters. They expect nothing less and they deserve nothing less.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.

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