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Statement

STATEMENT OF KRISTIN ROWE-FINKBEINER, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising.org, On the President’s 2014 State of the Union Address

January 29, 2014
Maternal Health, Workplace Justice

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

MomsRising.org Executive Director Praises President Obama for Putting Family Economic Security Issues ‘Center Stage’
“Last night’s State of the Union Address was an historic one. For the first time ever, a President of the United States squarely put center stage the issues that most affect the economic security of America’s families and of our nation: Fair pay, early learning and childcare, the minimum wage, sick days, family leave, health care, childhood obesity, gun safety, climate change, immigration policy reform, and more.
 
“Every year, MomsRising has encouraged its members to play “State of the Union BINGO,” tracking whether the President addresses the issues on the MomsRising agenda. This year, across the county, we were yelling ‘BINGO!’ This was the year that the economic issues that most affect moms and their families finally broke out of their silo and onto the top of the national agenda.
 
“MomsRising has been working hard over the last year to help these issues rise to the top. We have delivered hundreds of thousands of signatures on letters and petitions, thousands of personal stories, and our members have made phone calls, made personal visits, attended meetings, and sent emails to policy makers urging them to take action on these ‘kitchen table’ issues. From pushing for an increase in the minimum wage to pressing for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act to calling for paid leave policies, from fighting for health care to working toward sick days, we have been out there every day pushing for policies that will help our national economy and our families thrive. And last night we proved that the voices of moms are a mighty force, indeed. Mom Power is real and moms are powerful.
 
“MomsRising, and its more than one million members, and the hundreds of allied organizations we work with, stand ready to support the President in achieving his agenda. An agenda that will boost women, mothers, children, families, and our national economy. We are invigorated and energized. Moms have shown that we are a powerful political force and we are ready to see our agenda embodied in law.”
  

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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.