New Report on the Anti-Women Voting Record of the 112th Congress Identifies 55 Anti-Women Votes by House Republicans

WASHINGTON, DC — Today Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman, Subcommittee on Health Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Ranking Member Anna G. Eshoo, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Ranking Member Diana DeGette, and Committee members Lois Capps, Jan Schakowsky, Tammy Baldwin, Doris O. Matsui, Donna Christensen, and Kathy Castor released a new report on the extreme anti-women agenda of the House of Representatives in the 112th Congress.  Since the beginning of the 112th Congress in January 2011, the Republican-controlled House has cast 55 votes for anti-women policies that undermine women’s health, roll back women’s rights, and defund programs and institutions that provide support for women.

 

“House Republicans have voted repeatedly for legislation that would be harmful to women’s health and women’s rights,” said Rep. Waxman.  “I have worked for decades to promote equality for women, but the bipartisan support for women’s programs that used to exist in Congress has been shattered by tea party extremism.  The Republican-controlled House has become the most anti-women House in modern history.”

 

The report, prepared by the Democratic staff of the Energy and Commerce Committee, found that the House passed an average of one anti-women vote for every week that it has been in session for the 112th Congress.  These votes constitute almost 5% of all House legislative votes taken since January 2011. 

The 55 votes have targeted women in a multiple ways:  17 votes have allowed health insurance companies to discriminate against women; 11 votes have cut women’s access to preventive care; 10 votes have restricted or rolled back abortion rights or access to legal abortion; 7 votes have cut funding for key nutritional votes for women; 3 votes have blocked access to reproductive and maternal care services; 3 votes have undermined the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and 14 votes have weakened environmental laws that protect pregnant women from toxic chemicals.  The Republican budget drafted by Rep. Ryan further weakens many existing programs and institutions that support and protect women. 

 

National and California-based women’s organizations, as well as Democratic members of the Committee, have issued statements about importance of the report.  Their statements are available online here.

 

The full report is available here.