[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