On the House floor, Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) marked Women's History Month.
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00:00250 years ago, the United States won
00:04its independence in the Revolutionary War,
00:07and our journey as the United States of America began.
00:12But 250 years ago,
00:15I could not be standing where I am today.
00:18250 years ago, women did not have the right to vote,
00:24to hold public office, to own property.
00:29250 years ago, some women were property.
00:36250 years ago, women were
00:39a footnote to the story of our country's founding.
00:43But today, 250 years later,
00:48women make up 125 members in the Congress,
00:53and the Democratic Women's Caucus is 96 strong.
00:58Women now make up more than 58 percent of college graduates,
01:0240 percent of all businesses are women-owned,
01:06and more than 52 Fortune 500 companies are led by women.
01:12This kind of change did not happen by accident.
01:16It happened because our mothers, grandmothers,
01:19great-grandmothers, aunties, sisters, cousins,
01:23dared greatly and forged new paths for us to walk.
01:28The freedom and privileges we enjoy today
01:32are because of those who came before us.
01:36These are their stories.
01:39Over the next hour,
01:40we will hear from women members across the country who
01:43share the stories of heroines who changed the course of history.
01:50I'm honored to yield now to the gentle lady from North Carolina,
01:55Ms. Deborah Ross.
01:58Thank you so much, Congresswoman Scholten.
02:02I rise today to honor former Ambassador Jeanette Hyde,
02:07who sadly passed away last month.
02:10A North Carolina native,
02:13Ambassador Hyde was a trailblazer who
02:16paved the path for generations of women in our state.
02:21Her contributions to our community span industries,
02:26from her time as a social worker and teacher,
02:29to serving as the first woman on the North Carolina Board of Transportation.
02:36She was an active philanthropist,
02:39never forgetting her roots,
02:41and always giving back to North Carolina causes and organizations.
02:48It's especially meaningful to celebrate her legacy during Women's History Month.
02:55As a leader and an influential advocate,
02:59she pushed for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment,
03:03and women's full participation in the political process.
03:08She never gave up on her vision of an America where
03:13every woman has a chance to make her voice heard.
03:18At a time when women are facing
03:21unprecedented attacks from the Trump administration,
03:25we should all seek to emulate Ambassador Hyde's grit and grace over the next four years.
03:35Like Jeanette, we cannot back down in the face of threats to women's health care,
03:43accessible childcare, equal pay, and more.
03:48Thank you, Madam Chair, and I yield back.
03:54Thank you, Ms. Ross.
03:56I now yield to the gentle lady from Minnesota, Dr. Morrison.
04:05Thank you. Mr. Speaker,
04:08as we recognize Women's History Month,
04:10I rise as an OBGYN in fierce defense of our nation's moms and babies.
04:16Right now, the Republican majority in Congress is launching a full attack on America's families.
04:23Let's start first with where we are in our country.
04:26We are facing a serious and worsening maternal health care crisis.
04:30Just look at this map.
04:32In more than half of our country,
04:34women do not have a place to go that provides obstetric care.
04:38Among peer nations, we have both the highest rate of maternal deaths
04:41and the highest rate of infant deaths.
04:44In the United States of America, this is a crisis.
04:48It is an unacceptable crisis, and it demands immediate action from our nation's legislators.
04:55And yet the Republican majority is shoving a budget through that would gut Medicaid,
05:00which is the single largest payer of maternity care in our country,
05:04in order to give tax cuts to billionaires.
05:07As an OBGYN who has spent my life caring for women and delivering babies,
05:12let me tell you it is unconscionable to threaten the care women receive
05:16before, during, and after pregnancy.
05:19But that's exactly what the Republican majority is doing with their budget.
05:24Republicans are choosing to shut down more hospitals and clinics across the country.
05:29Republicans are choosing to make even more of our country maternal care deserts.
05:34Republicans are choosing to take health care away from moms and babies.
05:40It does not have to be this way.
05:43So as we celebrate Women's History Month, I implore the Republican majority
05:47to make their policy match their pro-family rhetoric
05:50and choose to put America's moms and babies first.
05:55Thank you. I yield back.
05:59Thank you, Dr. Morrison.
06:01Clearly, Women's History Month is still,
06:05history is still being made this Women's History Month
06:08as we have an unprecedented number of changemaker women
06:12from across the country who are standing up and fiercely defending their constituents.
06:18We are so grateful for their work in Congress.
06:23I now yield to the gentlelady from Maryland,
06:28Representative Sarah Ellsworth.
06:33Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
06:35Commander Janie L. Mines,
06:38the first African-American woman to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980.
06:43Commander Christine Holderede, a Howard County native
06:46and the first woman to graduate as valedictorian,
06:49not only from the Naval Academy, but from any service academies in 1984.
06:56Midshipman Kristen Dickman, a Naval Academy freshman and volleyball player
07:00who tragically passed away at the age of 19 in 2008.
07:05Her memory is now honored every single year for over the last decade
07:10via a tournament in her honor.
07:13Midshipman First Class Sydney Barber,
07:15the Naval Academy's first African-American female brigade commander
07:19who earned that honor not even five years ago in 2020.
07:24I share these names and I share these stories
07:27because these are women and women of color
07:29who are an integral part of the rich history of the United States Naval Academy
07:34that I have the privilege of representing,
07:35but not just of the Naval Academy.
07:38They represent our military and proudly our nation.
07:42And so I want to be clear that this administration's unrelenting
07:45and reckless attack on the stories and the history of persistence,
07:50of diversity, of opportunity only serves to set us back.
07:55When faculty at our five world-class service academies
07:58are told to avoid divisive concepts like racism and sexism,
08:04that only threatens to erase the stories and experiences
08:08of these brave women who just wanted to serve our great nation.
08:12I strongly believe that the Navy and Marine Corps that look,
08:15we should have a Navy and Marine Corps who look like our country,
08:19where our midshipmen receive an education
08:21that teaches the accurate and full history of this nation,
08:25where the stories of women and people of color
08:27aren't skipped over because they are inconvenient.
08:31This is all critical to our national security
08:33and a strong democratic principles that we embody abroad.
08:37It is for these women and the hundreds and thousands more women
08:40serving in our nation, serving our nation at home and abroad
08:43that I am here today.
08:45And with that, I yield back my time.
08:48Thank you, Representative Alfreff.
08:51Very, very well said.
08:54As the first woman in history to hold my seat in Congress,
08:58I am always thinking about the history-making women
09:02of the past, present, and future.
09:06I'm honored to highlight a few stories
09:08of history-making women Michiganders now.
09:13I'm honored to highlight Michigander Harriet Quimby,
09:16the first American woman to earn a pilot's license
09:20and the first woman ever to fly solo across the English Channel.
09:25Her career in aviation was short but accomplished.
09:29Flying from the U.S. to England, Mexico, and more,
09:32Harriet's legacy serves as a reminder
09:35that women can soar to whatever heights they set their mind to.
09:41We are so proud to claim that Sojourner Truth
09:44made her home in Michigan for the last 27 years of her life,
09:49a fearless abolitionist and a women's rights advocate
09:53who used her powerful voice to demand justice.
09:57Born into slavery, she escaped and dedicated her life
10:00to fighting for freedom and equality.
10:05Her famous Ain't I a Woman speech
10:07challenged the exclusion of Black women
10:10from the suffrage movement, leaving a legacy
10:12that continues to inspire generations.
10:18Anna Howard Shaw was a trailblazer
10:21in every sense of the word,
10:23becoming one of the first female ordained ministers
10:27in the United States and later a physician.
10:30She dedicated decades to the fight for women's suffrage,
10:34serving as the president
10:35of the National American Women's Suffrage Association.
10:39Her leadership and relentless advocacy
10:41helped secure the right to vote,
10:43proving that determination and conviction,
10:47as well as persistence, can change the course of history.
10:53Clara Arthur, known as the mother of the playground movement,
10:57believed in creating a better world for future generations.
11:02As president of the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association,
11:05she worked tirelessly to advocate for women's voting rights.
11:10Her activism extended beyond the ballot box.
11:13She championed education, labor reforms,
11:16and public spaces for children,
11:19ensuring that progress didn't just mean progress for some,
11:24it meant progress for all.
11:27Lucia Voorhees Grimes was a dedicated suffragist
11:31who played a pivotal role in Michigan's fight
11:34for women's voting rights.
11:36As a leader in the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association,
11:40she traveled the state, organizing campaigns,
11:44educating voters, and pushing for legislative change.
11:48Her unwavering commitment helped pave the way
11:52for Michigan women to claim their rightful place
11:56in the democratic process.
12:00These are the stories of past history makers
12:03who have changed the course of our nation.
12:07The freedoms we enjoy today
12:09are because they refused to sit idly by.
12:13And now, as we see unprecedented attacks
12:16on our healthcare, on our rights,
12:19we also see everyday women,
12:22especially in places like my hometown
12:25in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who refuse to sit quiet.
12:31I refuse to stand by while Republicans,
12:34Donald Trump, and billionaires like Elon Musk
12:37try to gut essential programs like Medicaid,
12:41a lifeline that millions of families rely on.
12:45No parent should have to choose
12:47between their child's health and paying their bills.
12:51We are fighting to protect the care
12:53that women and families depend on
12:55because healthcare isn't a privilege for the wealthy.
12:58It's a right for everyone.
13:02I wanna highlight to you a brave mom
13:04from my district, Abby Karoma,
13:07a mother of two visually impaired daughters
13:09who depend on Medicaid.
13:12Without this critical program,
13:13Abby would be forced to make impossible decisions,
13:16whether she has enough in her bank account
13:18for treatments that could save her children's vision
13:23or putting food on the table.
13:25No parent should have to face that choice.
13:30But Republicans in Congress right now,
13:32guided by Donald Trump and Elon Musk,
13:35are willing to rip away this essential healthcare
13:39from families like Abby's
13:40just to hand out more tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy.
13:43We won't let it happen.
13:45We are the women who are standing in the gap
13:47and standing up for these families.
13:49We will fight every day to protect Medicaid,
13:52to stand up for families who depend on it,
13:54and to make sure that no one in this country
13:57is left wondering whether they can afford
14:01the care that they need for themselves or their families.
14:05I stand here today so that no one has to wonder
14:08who they have fighting for them.
14:10We are here, standing together,
14:12fighting for the families across the country.
14:16Thank you to the women who joined me here today
14:18to stand up and highlight the powerful women
14:21of their home states and the impacts
14:23that they have had on changing the course of history.
14:28Mr. Speaker, I yield back.