Press Releases

WATCH THE SEGMENT HERE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This morning, on MS NOW’s Morning Joe, Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03) and Republican Women’s Caucus (RWC) Chair Kat Cammack (FL-03) appeared together for their first joint interview since announcing their bipartisan partnership between the DWC and RWC to combat sexual misconduct in Congress.

During the interview, Chair Leger Fernández spoke forcefully about the culture of abuse and imbalance of power that has allowed misconduct to persist in Congress — and the urgency of reforming the system to protect staff and survivors.

“Too often we have seen Congressmen take advantage of that power imbalance, use the women who work here as their prey, and we are here to say that that’s not going to happen anymore,” said Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03). “We need to make sure that accountability means something… if you engage in sexual assault of the employees on Capitol Hill, you’re going to pay a price.”

Chair Cammack emphasized that the effort is not simply about punishment after abuse occurs, but about changing the culture and systems that allowed misconduct to persist in the first place.

“Accountability cannot begin and end with punishment after the fact. It must include prevention, transparency, education, and systems people can actually trust,” said Chair of the Republican Women’s Caucus Kat Rep. Cammack (FL-03). 

Both lawmakers made clear they are sending a message to workplaces across America: sexual misconduct is never acceptable. Congress should set the standard — not lag behind it — and no woman should ever have to choose between her career and her safety.

“We are going to kick out the predators, and we're going to do that by changing and reforming the system that was put into place in 2018," said Chair Leger Fernández. “We represent over 140 [Congresswomen.] And when you start getting to a critical mass, women will make things happen. We just are good at getting sh*t done.”

About the partnership between the Democratic and Republican Women’s Caucuses:

• Backed by Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries

• Led by Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández and Republican Women’s Caucus Chair Kat Cammack 

• Focused on identifying reforms and solutions to make Congress a safer workplace for women and all survivors 

• Working to make reporting systems faster, more accessible, and easier to navigate for survivors 

• Pushing for stronger education and training resources to prevent misconduct before it happens 

• Prioritizing staff and survivors at every step of the reform process 

• Tackling the culture of retaliation, fear, and silence that prevents survivors from coming forward 

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