ICYMI: Spearheaded by new Chair Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, Democratic Women in the House Ready to Fight
**Watch the full press call here.**
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, December 11 at 2:30 pm ET, Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03),Chair Emerita Lois Frankel (FL-22), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), and DWC Whip Lucy McBath (GA-07) hosted a press call to welcome DWC’s new Chair, Teresa Leger Fernández, and to thank Chair Emerita Lois Frankel and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for their longtime leadership in the Democratic Women’s Caucus.
Chair Leger Fernández also addressed DWC’s plan for the fight ahead against President Trump and Republican leadership. The DWC plans to call out President Trump’s betrayal of voters, tell stories about women across America, and strengthen its coalition of allies working on women’s issues.
Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03) on the DWC’s fight headed into the 119th Congress: “We will find bipartisan wins where we can, and we will seek them out, but we will also use our platform to call out Trump’s betrayal of people who voted for him. We are going to lift up the stories of America’s women to people in the administration, to our colleagues, so hopefully we can prevent the worst from happening. We are going to be guerilla storytellers, and we will be in constant communication with our allies so we can bring light to how the policies in Washington, D.C. impact women and their families.”
Chair Emerita Lois Frankel (FL-22) on incoming Chair Teresa Leger Fernández: “I am very excited that we’re going to have new, fresh leadership of the DWC. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández is well informed, she’s persistent, and she’ll know when to find common ground and when to resist, because unfortunately, there will probably need to be some resistance. I’m very grateful, appreciative, and hopeful, as I turn the gavel over to her.”,
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (CA-11) on incoming Chair Teresa Leger Fernández: “The [Democratic Women’s] Caucus has decided that Teresa Leger Fernández will be the DWC Chair. Her reputation preceded her when she came to Congress for all the work she's done in New Mexico. I was particularly impressed by her work for voting rights, Indigenous peoples’ rights, reproductive health care, lowering costs, ensuring economic security, and protecting women and children from sexual violence—the list goes on. As a public service attorney, whether it was education, housing, or protecting the environment, she was there, as the expression goes, for the people. So now, we have this energy, this dynamism, this invigoration of the Congress and the Caucus with her leadership. We're very proud of you.”
DWC Whip Lucy McBath (GA-07) on incoming Chair Teresa Leger Fernández: “Congresswoman Leger Fernández is a passionate Congresswoman. She has already proven that she'll work in the best interest of women, our families, and our nation as a whole. She’s been doing it her entire life! She's already shown us what an effective leader she is, and what an effective leader she's prepared to be chairing the Democratic Women’s Caucus. She is a leader that is open to feedback. She empowers others, she lifts the causes up that we all champion in Congress, and she's on the frontlines every single day. You can always count on her to show up prepared, to work, and to support the Caucus and each of its Members.”
In the 119th Congress, the DWC will be its largest ever at 96 members strong. The DWC will continue to prioritize the issues that matter most to women and their families: lowering costs and ensuring economic security, protecting reproductive freedom, and keeping women and children safe from violence.