Bonnie Watson Coleman: “Earlier today, my colleagues and I debated and passed a budget about which I have quite a few concerns. Budgets are…”

“Earlier today, my colleagues and I debated and passed a budget about which I have quite a few concerns. Budgets are statements of values. They should map out the priorities we have for our Nation. The resolution that the House adopted earlier suggests that our priorities are the interests of the top 1 percent of earners, the interests of corporations. Certainly, not the interests of working families. {time} 1915 Mr. Speaker, according to a Pew Center analysis of census data, 4 out of every 10 households with children now have a mother who is either the sole or primary bread winner. That means that 40 percent of families are led by woman. As we approach the end of Women's History Month, my Congressional Progressive Caucus colleague and I have come to the floor this evening to talk about the impacts of the Republican budget on women. As I have said, women now lead 40 percent of our Nation's households with children, a huge socioeconomic shift for this country; but when you dig deeper, 25 percent of those households are single-parent homes where women are the only provider. Those women need health care to be able to keep going to work. As we know, Mr. Speaker, not every employer offers health care. Fortunately, 5 years ago, we passed the Affordable Care Act, and now, more than 16 million Americans have access to health insurance, many of them for the first time.…”