Congress Passes Phase III Stimulus Bill As Women and Families Near Economic Brink

(Washington, D.C.) The following is a statement from Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, in reaction to the Congress’ passage of the Phase III coronavirus stimulus bill: 

“The very foundations of American life are splintering under the weight of this moment, and Congress deserves applause for their work to deliver much-needed assistance to families and our public health infrastructure. But within this bill, we see the privileging of corporate profits and anti-abortion ideology over the well-being of families, low-wage workers, and child care providers. The full impact of this outbreak on our economy will last years, if not a generation, and the costs of thinking too small and caving to an extremist agenda are far too grave for Congress to stop here; they must come back to the table and finish the job. We need more than a chance to survive; Congress must allow each person in this country a chance to thrive.” 

The bill includes: 

  • Extending the Hyde Amendment to an entirely new funding program and creating a loan program that gives the Administration discretion to deny loans to entities like Planned Parenthood.
  • Financial support for state Unemployment Insurance (UI) systems, which have seen a massive flood of applicants in recent weeks. Economists estimate that we will lose nearly 14 million jobs by the summer even with this sizeable stimulus package.  Click here to learn more about the needs of UI systems during this outbreak.
  • $3.5 billion in dedicated support for the child care industry through the Child Care and Development Block Grant—far less than the $50 billion NWLC that is needed to keep the nation’s child care system afloat