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Statement

‘This Is What Finger-on-the-Pulse, Compassionate Leadership Looks Like,’ Moms Leader Says, Lauding Speaker Pelosi’s Work and Bipartisan House Passage of Families First Coronavirus Response Act

March 14, 2020
Paid Sick Days, Paid Family & Medical Leave, Early Care & Education, Federal Budget, Health Care

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEO of MomsRising, an on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on bipartisan passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of a coronavirus relief package:

“The U.S. House of Representatives took a vitally important step to stabilize the country, support and protect moms, and help families at particular risk by passing the Families First Coronavirus Response Act last night. America’s moms are enormously grateful that the House stayed in session through the wee hours of the night to get this done, and demand that the U.S. Senate now immediately pass this smart, bipartisan legislation that will make a huge difference for tens of millions of families.

“The Families First Coronavirus Response Act puts resources and supports where they are needed most and pays particular attention to the needs of families that are low-income, working people in low-wage, part-time, service-sector jobs, and people who are especially vulnerable due to compromised health or pre-existing conditions. It is an important step in mitigating the damage the pandemic would otherwise cause to working families, at-risk communities, businesses, and our economy. We are proud to support this legislation and look forward to working with congressional leaders to ensure that additional reforms needed for our families are included in future packages.

“With the pandemic’s impact growing by the minute, we need the free coronavirus testing, paid sick days, paid family and medical leave, targeted food and nutrition assistance, unemployment insurance support, and other measures it contains right now. In particular, America’s moms strongly support provisions that will provide:

  • Free coronavirus testing for everyone who needs a test, including those without health coverage;
  • Paid emergency sick leave with 14 paid sick days immediately available to use during public health emergencies, including for part-time employees;
  • Three months of paid emergency family and medical leave throughout the coronavirus crisis;
  • Strong food security initiatives to ensure SNAP, WIC, student meals, meals in childcare settings, seniors’ nutrition, meals for people with disabilities, and food banks are ready to help those who would otherwise go hungry;
  • Badly needed, increased federal funds for Medicaid; and
  • Necessary funding for states to prepare for increased Unemployment Insurance caseloads.

"We were especially thrilled to see 140 Republicans vote for this bill and will work hard to remind them that working people in this country need paid sick days and paid family and medical leave in normal times as well as during emergencies.

“We are enormously grateful to Speaker Pelosi and other U.S. House leaders for stepping up with heroic, reach-across-the-political-aisle work to craft and win bipartisan passage of this important measure. This is what finger-on-the-pulse, compassionate leadership looks like, and what our families, economy, and country need.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.