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News release

Women and Mothers Descend on Capitol Hill to Urge Congress Not to Throw Families Over the Fiscal Cliff

December 5, 2012

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

Moms and Families to Deliver Teddy Bears to Lawmakers to Send the Message: “We Can’t ‘Bear’ More Than Our Fair Share!”
The economic security of moms and their families hangs in the balance as Congress debates how – and whether – to avoid the “fiscal cliff.”  MomsRising is taking action and making the voices of their more than one million members heard through multiple avenues, including: in-district deliveries in nearly 40 states of personal stories from MomsRising members about how the fiscal cliff will impact them; making deliveries to Congressional offices in Washington, D.C. of hundreds of stories about the financial burdens facing moms and dads across the United States, as well as thousands of signatures on petitions calling on Congress to end the Bush era tax cuts for the wealthy.  
 
On Wednesday, December 5, while Members of Congress are negotiating a budget to address the impending fiscal cliff, women, mothers and their families will visit Capitol Hill to deliver those stories and signatures, to ensure that families’ voices are heard in these negotiations.
 
WHO: Moms and their families will join MomsRising to deliver hundreds of stories and signatures to lawmakers as they tackle budget negotiations.  
 
WHAT: Moms and their families will deliver teddy bears, petition signatures and personal stories to lawmakers to send the message that moms and kids can’t “bear” more than their fair share.
 
WHEN: Wednesday, December 5, 2012.  11:00 AM EST
 
WHERE: Cannon House Building Lobby in Washington, D.C.
 
MomsRising members will also be making over 190 deliveries of the short book of fiscal cliff stories to the in-district offices of their local representatives in 40 states.
 
“If Congress doesn’t act, massive across-the-board cuts could cost millions of jobs and hurt health care, education, aid to state and local governments, and vital programs that kids and families depend on, such as Head Start, child care, and food safety,” said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and co-founder of MomsRising. “Even worse, some lawmakers are trying to use this high-stakes moment of legislative complexity as an opportunity to attempt to sneak in drastic cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.  Women and mothers are urging their representatives in Congress not to throw America’s families over the fiscal cliff in order to protect tax cuts for the top two percent among us.”
 
Click Here for Stories from Mothers and Families Facing the Impending Fiscal Cliff.
 

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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.