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Health

This Women’s Health Week, What Is Congress Doing To Protect Women’s Health?

By Annie-Rose Strasser on May 15, 2012 at 1:27 pm

President Obama declared this week as women’s health week, and though we too often hear about the attacks on women’s health, it seems like a good time to think about the positive measures in Congress — be them very few — to protect women’s health.

Believe it or not, Congress does have a few bills out there that are protections of women’s health, instead of attacks on it. So here are the top three bills in Congress aimed at protecting women’s health:

– The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act aims to protect pregnant workers from discrimination in the workplace by ensuring that their employers cannot deny them necessities to their prenatal health. Mothers-to-be sometimes need a water bottle or a stool to sit on, particularly as they near their delivery date or if they have any complications with their pregnancy. Yet women have been fired to trying to access these necessities on the job. The bill, introduced by Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Susan Davis (D-CA) and George Miller (D-CA), requires employers to meet these needs.

– The Violence Against Women Act has been hotly debated in both the House and Senate, but at its core, it is a bill meant to safeguard women’s health. Unfortunately, rape and assault are a part of the health care that many women receive in their lives — roughly one in six women is sexually assaulted, and one in four experience domestic violence. VAWA protects victims of domestic violence so that incidents occur less frequently, but it also sets up rapid response for when those incidents do occur.

– The Protecting Women’s Access to Health Care Act is a Republican response to all of the attacks on Planned Parenthood. Introduced by Rep. Robert Dold (R-IL), the bill seeks to ensure that Planned Parenthood can not be denied funding under Title X, Congress’s family planning funding. Dold said, “We should not discriminate against hospitals and organizations that provide access to basic, preventative, and in some cases life-saving services.”

Aside from these legislative efforts, President Obama’s contraceptive mandate requires that employers provide contraception to their employees — an important step for improving women’s health and access to health care. So there is some good news for women’s health, with Democrats and some Republicans supporting legislation in favor of women’s interests. Now the nation will have to wait and see if Congress agrees to pass these measures.

Economy

Obama: ‘Congress Would Get More Done If There Were More Women’

By Annie-Rose Strasser on Apr 6, 2012 at 12:20 pm

President Obama spoke at a forum on women and the economy today, following the White House release of a 65-page report (PDF) on the same topic this morning. In a speech that played on the public arguments about a GOP’s “war on women,” the President took the opportunity to argue in front of the largely-female audience that Congress would be more productive if there were more women legislators.

“Fewer than 20 percent of the seats in Congress are occupied by women. Is it possible that Congress would get more done if there were more women in congress?” he asked. “I think it’s fair to say: That is almost guaranteed.” Watch it:

President Obama’s suggestion isn’t new, but it is valid. Women account for only a small fraction — about 15 percent — of Congress, though they make up more than half of the population.

In a response to the speech, Jess McIntosh, a spokesperson for the Democratic advocacy group EMILY’s List, told ThinkProgress that the group agrees with the President on the necessity of more women legislators. “Democratic women are known for getting things done,” McIntosh said. “They’re effective legislators who focus on the things that matter, work well with others, and put women and families first. This GOP-led Congress seems hell-bent on rolling back the clock and restricting our freedoms. It’s pretty clear that if we replace some of these guys with Democratic women, we’ll make more progress.”

Update

While Congressional women did lose out in the 2010 election, they have made up that ground in 2011 by winning House special elections.

Economy

GOP Congressman Featured In Paul Ryan’s Budget Video Votes Against Paul Ryan’s Budget

By Scott Keyes on Mar 22, 2012 at 9:40 am

On Monday, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released a video introducing his budget proposal. In it, Ryan narrates his plan as the video cuts to various shots of Americana, as well as members of Congress examining the budget. At 2:12 in the video, Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI) discusses the plan with Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), who nods approvingly:

Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), left, was featured in Paul Ryan's budget video, but voted against the plan last night

Last night, Huelskamp had a chance to vote on Ryan’s proposal as a member of the House Budget Committee. Apparently, the Kansas Republican did not like what he saw. The Tea Partier broke ranks with all but one other Republican on the committee and voted against Ryan’s budget. Democrats were unanimous in their opposition.

Huelskamp explained his opposition to the budget during a panel on Tuesday. “It’s not good enough,” the Tea Party freshman said. “Its just another promise that I’m afraid will be broken.”

Though just a few days old, cracks are already emerging in the Republican dam. Despite a 22-16 advantage on the Budget Committee, the bill eked out of the Budget Committee by just a single vote (19-18) after Huelskamp and fellow freshman Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) voted with the Democrats. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) missed the vote. Another freshman, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), backed the budget last night and ensured it would not die in committee, but told The Hill that he may vote against it once it comes to the floor.

It’s plain to see why Ryan’s plan would be a disaster for the country. The budget is a reverse-Robin Hood plan that takes from the poor in order to give $3 trillion to corporations and the rich. It purports to reduce the debt while actually increasing it. It ends Medicare as we know it, takes away health coverage for 30 million Americans, and forces seniors to pay even more for their health care. Though Huelskamp, Amash, and Mulvaney may have their own objections to the Ryan budget, there are certainly plenty to go around.

Politics

GRAPH: The Most Conservative Congress Ever Recorded

By Guest Blogger on Mar 19, 2012 at 10:18 am

Our guest blogger is Paul Breer, a former ThinkProgress intern and co-creator of PonySavers.org.

In the last few weeks, ThinkProgress has been documenting studies by political science professors Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal that show Republicans are both beholden to the 1 percent and responsible for the hyper-polarization of Congress. A new study by Poole has found that Republicans have moved so far to the right that the House is now the most conservative it has even been in the last 133 years.

Note on the graph: The closer to 1.0, the more conservative the party’s votes were that year. The black line in the middle represents the median location of the overall chamber.

Poole’s graph shows that when the Republican Party gained a majority in 2010, they brought the median of the House into a realm of ideological extremism not seen before. For comparison, when the Democratic Party held a majority from 2006 to 2010, the House median made a small move to the left (-0.2) — equal to the level of a moderate Democrat. But when the Republican Party took over in 2010, the House median more than tripled (.43) along the ideological scale.

Considering approval ratings for Congress are hovering around 11% — lower ratings than the IRS, lawyers, and even Nixon during Watergate — a recent poll shows that Americans still disapprove of congressional Republicans more than Democrats. In fact, under Democratic majorities the House median hasn’t passed the level equal to a moderate Democrat (-0.2) in the last 100 years. Meanwhile, just in the last 20 years alone, the House median under Republican control has been above that moderate level on the conservative side (0.2) for approximately 10 years.

Politics

Democratic Challenger Wins Charity Auction For Meal With GOP Congressman, Brings Reporters As Guests

By Josh Israel on Mar 12, 2012 at 3:20 pm

Lee Rogers, Democratic congressional candidate

Lee Rogers, Democratic congressional candidate

A rough year for Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) just got rougher. Democrat Lee Rogers, a podiatrist and Democratic candidate for the nomination to oppose McKeon this November, won a charity auction earning a lunch for four with the incumbent. And he has invited three local reporters to be his guests for the festivities.

Rogers won the auction – benefiting the College of the Canyons Foundation – with a $300 bid, the only bid made.

McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services committee, is well known for his extreme opposition to allowing gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the military. Last year, he threated to threaten to hold up an entire defense authorization bill unless it contained provisions restricting military chaplains from officiating at same-sex unions.

He has also made headlines of late for his questionable ethics. He used his campaign account to funnel more than $260,0000 in payments to his wife for her work on his behalf, making her his highest paid staffer. And congressional investigators have reportedly alleged he got a cut-rate home loan from Countrywide.

Perhaps Rogers might ask McKeon about these ethical issues over their lunch.

Climate Progress

Double Jeopardy: Congress’ Failure to Act on Energy and Climate is a National Security Tragedy

By Bill Becker on Feb 27, 2012 at 9:19 am

Image: League of Conservation Voters

The most serious threat to U.S. national security and economic health today is not not al Qaeda or a nuclear Iran or the price of gasoline.

No, at the moment the gravest threat is our own inability to take action on fundamental threats, like global warming. The jeopardy we are in is doubled by a Congress that is either incapable of or unwilling to act.

Congress’s failures are acts of commission as well as omission. A significant number of Senators and House members are trying to get rid of policies and tools that past Congresses put in place to protect us. Some of the Republican candidates for president are complicit.

Consider what Congress is doing, or not doing, about oil prices, economic stability, climate change, and our military effectiveness.

Read more

NEWS FLASH

Women Account For About 15 Percent Of Congress | Women make up 50.7 percent of the U.S. population, but they only make up 15 percent of the Senate and 16.6 percent of the House, according to a Congressional Research Services report. This is an obvious increase from 1945, when no women served in the Senate and about 2 percent of House members were women, but the number of women has leveled off recently and even dropped slightly compared to the most recent Congress. As the GOP pursues policies that alienate women, it will be interesting to note how that affects the participation of women in politics.

Via Andrew Sullivan

NEWS FLASH

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress not to block affordable access to contraception for all women | Late last month, President Obama issued a new rule requiring health insurance companies to cover contraception with no co-pay. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said he will do everything and anything to overturn this decision. Almost all women — including 89% of Catholics — want to make their own decisions regarding contraception. Nevertheless, you can count on the fact that your member of Congress will be hearing from a vocal minority. This is just too important to sit on the sidelines.

If you believe every woman deserves access to affordable birth control, make sure Congress hears from you. 

NEWS FLASH

National Environmental Scorecard Reflects Record Assaults On Environmental Protections | The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has revealed the National Environmental Scorecard for the 112th Congress. The 2011 scorecard shows this year was the most anti-environmental session for the House of Representatives, ever. In a year that saw more than 200 votes on environment and public health, the scorecard includes 11 Senate and a record 35 of the most significant House of Representatives votes attacking public health protections, clean energy, and land and wildlife conservation.

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