Janice Schakowsky: “I am joined tonight by several of my colleagues to do a short series of 5-minutes to help shed light on President Bush's…”

“I am joined tonight by several of my colleagues to do a short series of 5-minutes to help shed light on President Bush's record on women. We are very grateful to the National Women's Law Center that produced a report called ``Slip-sliding Away: The Erosion of Hard-won Gains For Women Under the Bush Administration,'' and the National Center For Research on Women that wrote a report called ``Missing: Information About Women's Lives.'' They compiled reports on the actions taken by the Bush administration that have eroded hard-won gains for women. These are rights and guarantees for equality that my colleagues and I, and those who came before us, have worked for years to gain in order that our daughters and our granddaughters would not have to endure inequality, violence, or lack of opportunity. During the last 3 rac{1}{2} years, so many of those gains have been rolled back, chipped away and, in some cases, obliterated all together. My colleagues will elaborate on some of these actions, but let me at least provide my colleagues with a list of the administration's actions. I have only 5 minutes, so this list will be a sample rather than an exhaustive list. Despite a persistent wage gap and barriers to equal opportunity like sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination, the Bush administration has advocated policies that make the situation worse for women at work. The Bush administration has completely eliminated the Equal Pay Matters initiative.”