Letter to Joe Manchin, Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources - Duckworth Urges Swift Consideration of Her Bipartisan Bill Honoring Women on the Home Front During WWII
Letter
Dear Chairman Manchin:
I write this Women's History Month to draw your attention to a fitting bill referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: S.1814, the Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act, which I re-introduced on May 25, 2021. This bipartisan bill is cosponsored by Senators Blackburn (R-TN), Braun (R-IN) and Feinstein (D-CA) and would authorize the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation to establish a new commemorative work here in Washington, D.C., to honor the nearly 18 million women who supported our country's economy and society through their contributions to war efforts during World War II. Companion legislation was passed by the House of Representatives on December 8, 2021, with a decisive final vote tally of 425-1.
These women--many of whom had no expectation of working outside the home--answered the call during a global crisis to work as pilots, engineers, taxi drivers, letter carriers, code breakers, manufacturers and more. It is time that we recognize the decisive roles that they played during World War II and give honor to their service where it is long overdue. We should also acknowledge the groundbreaking path laid by these women for generations to follow, as this marked a pivotal point in history for women in the workforce.
Chairman Manchin, as Women's History Month draws to a close, I urge you and your colleagues on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to swiftly move S. 1814 through committee consideration. It would be a great honor to women across our country to see this bill advance. There is not a more appropriate time than now to codify the authorization to create a commemorative work in honor of these brave women. Let our 117th Congress be the first to make permanent and visible the legacy of their strength and resilience. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration, and I look forward to our working with you on this important request.
Sincerely,
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