DWC Chair Leger Fernández & Senator Hirono Lead Democrats in Letters Denouncing Trump Admin Attempts to Covertly Rip Away Opportunities for Women and Girls
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03) and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) led two letters to the Department of Energy (DOE) condemning the administration’s attempt to rip away opportunities for women and girls through two direct final rules (DFRs). As the Members explain in their letter, the DOE is misusing the federal rulemaking process by hiding substantive policy changes in these DFRs—which are intended to be used for noncontroversial technical changes.
The first letter, signed by 18 Members of Congress, opposes the DFR that is attempting to dismantle key protections that allow schools to offer gender-conscious programs giving women and girls access to educational opportunities in fields that they have historically faced exclusion, like science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and technical training.
“The proposed DFR hinders women’s and girls’ access to programs that would boost their participation in underrepresented fields, including STEM fields, deepening existing inequalities and intensifying the gender gap. The underrepresentation of women and girls in historically male-dominated fields reinforces harmful stereotypes about women’s and girl’s abilities and keeps the workforce divided by gender, contributing to the gender pay gap. Additionally, this DFR is a complete misuse of the process. Therefore, the proposed DFR should be rescinded immediately. We call on you to stand with women and protect their ability to thrive in fields where they’ve long lacked representation,” the Members say in their letter.
In addition to letter leads Teresa Leger Fernández and Mazie Hirono, this letter was signed by Nanette Barragán, Julia Brownley, Jasmine Crockett, Teresa Leger Fernández, Laura Friedman, Mazie Hirono, Pramila Jayapal, Jennifer McClellan, Kelly Morrison, Deborah Ross, Janice Schakowsky, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Chris Van Hollen, Nikema Williams, and Dick Durbin.
The second letter, signed by 16 Members of Congress, opposes the DFR that removes the requirement allowing women and girls to try out for the men’s and boys’ teams if no women's and girls' teams are available. The removal of this policy will rob women and girls of athletic opportunities and does nothing to protect them.
“We are outraged by the proposal to remove the requirement that if a school offers a non-contact sports team for men and boys but not for women and girls then women and girls must be allowed to try out for the men' s and boys’ teams. The removal of this policy will rob women and girls of athletic opportunities—of which they have historically had fewer compared to men and boys—and does nothing to protect them,” the Members and Senators explained in their letter.
“By removing protections under Title IX, this DFR would limit opportunities for women and girls and upend over 50 years of progress toward gender equality. Given the harmful impact of removing this Title IX protection, this regulatory change should not be issued, and certainly not through a DFR. Although the government should never seek to limit anyone’s rights or protections, against discrimination, at the very least, it absolutely should not make such major changes through an expedited process like this without meaningful opportunity for the public to weigh in,” the Members concluded.
In addition to letter leads Teresa Leger Fernández and Mazie Hirono, this letter was signed by Nanette Barragán, Julia Brownley, Jasmine Crockett, Laura Friedman, Pramila Jayapal, Jennifer McClellan, Kelly Morrison, Deborah Ross, Janice Schakowsky, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Chris Van Hollen, Nikema Williams, and Dick Durbin.
###