    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 132, 115th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 9702 of February 28, 2018

    Women's History Month, 2018

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    Our history is rich with amazing stories of strong, courageous, and
    brilliant women. Since America's founding, women have played an integral
    part in American innovation and productivity, while simultaneously
    raising generations of lively children and providing leadership in their
    local communities.
    Time and time again, women have demonstrated resilience in the face of
    unprecedented challenges. America's women have readily tackled the
    disruptive forces and demands of wartime and embraced the technological
    and industrial advancements of the past 250 years. We have seen the
    incredible fortitude of women like Mary Katherine Goddard, who, in 1775,
    served as postmaster of the Baltimore post office and printed the second
    copy of the then-treasonous Declaration of Independence. We have
    followed the exceptional leadership of women like Olive Ann Beech, the
    first female head of a major aircraft company, which produced thousands
    of aircraft for the Allied effort during World War II. And, we have been
    transformed by women like Marva Collins, who was working as a full-time
    substitute teacher in Chicago when she founded a low-cost private school
    for low-income children being left behind by public schools.
    We can find similar stories throughout women's endeavors today. Women
    are leaders in a range of fields, from business and medicine to
    government and the arts. And, my Administration is committed to creating
    conditions that empower women to achieve even more. Access to paid
    family leave and affordable, high-quality childcare can help enhance
    women's ability to participate in the labor force and improve the
    economic security of their families. The recently enacted Tax Cuts and
    Jobs Act provides new tax credits to businesses that offer paid family
    and medical leave to their employees. This landmark legislation also
    gives qualifying American families with children a significantly larger
    child tax credit and ensures that more families will be eligible to take
    advantage of this credit. When we support family-friendly policies,
    women have more freedom to explore opportunities and to thrive at work
    and at home.
    My Administration is also supporting policies that promote women's
    economic empowerment. This is critical, as women now make up 40 percent
    of the entrepreneurs in the United States. Women business owners employ
    more than 8 million workers and provide them with more than $264 billion
    in wages and salaries. Just in the first year of my Administration, the
    Small Business Administration has increased lending to women-owned
    businesses by $128 million. We will also

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    continue promoting the next generation of women leaders through
    mentoring, training, and education initiatives.
    Through these and other efforts, we will support women throughout our
    society, recognizing that the successes of women strengthen our
    families, our economy, and our Nation. As we reflect on the role of
    women throughout American history, we remember that women must always
    have access to all the opportunities that our Nation has to offer.
    Indeed, ensuring access to these opportunities is vital to our Nation's
    prosperity.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of
    America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
    the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2018 as Women's
    History Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month and to
    celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, 2018, with appropriate
    programs, ceremonies, and activities.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day
    of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    second.
    DONALD J. TRUMP