Women's History Month

Floor Speech

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Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague, Monica De La Cruz, for joining me in this effort. I also thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who have cosponsored our legislation, H.R. 1329.

Today, we conclude Women's History Month. It has been a monthlong celebration of the remarkable achievements and contributions of American women throughout our Nation's history.

Whether it is the suffragists who fought for the right to vote, the riveters who stepped in while men fought during World War II, the 10,000 women known as Code Girls who broke German and Japanese codes for the U.S. Army and Navy during World War II, the ``Hidden Figures'' of NASA who helped launch John Glenn into space, or the Black Angels from my district, Staten Island, New York, who treated sick tuberculosis patients when no one wanted to and helped find the cure for this disease, American women have been instrumental in shaping our Nation's progress and success.

We think about how much has happened in five decades. Fifty years ago, women were still battling for so many rights, not just equal pay. They could not get a credit card without a male cosigner. They had no protections against pregnancy discrimination or sexual harassment. They could not serve on juries, and they did not have the ability to join military academies. Women before us have made so much progress. We celebrate and thank them. Now we pave the way forward.

Last week, 37 female Republican Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate joined President Donald Trump at the White House to launch the GOP Women's Caucus.

I would remind my colleagues from the Republican side that it was the Republican Party who helped champion women's rights and protections. It was Republican Susan B. Anthony who led the suffrage movement. It was a Republican Senator who sponsored the 19th Amendment to give women the right to vote. It was a Republican Congress that approved it, and it was a majority of Republican States that ratified it.

It was Republican Jeannette Rankin who 4 years prior made history in 1916 as the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1972, it was President Richard Nixon who signed Title IX into law, eliminating sex discrimination in education and athletics, opening doors for female athletes to receive scholarships.

In 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor, also a Republican, made history as the first woman confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, paving the way for greater female representation in our legal system.

Most recently, President Trump authorized the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum in 2020. In his first few days of his second term, he signed an executive order to protect women in sports.

Today, we are fighting to get that museum that was authorized in 2020 its rightful place on The National Mall. I thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle, nearly 100 Members of this institution, who have cosponsored H.R. 1329. We can transfer this land and get this museum built to honor the women who are currently known and unknown, who have contributed so much, and who have built our Nation. This is one of our new caucus' priorities, and we must get it done in this term.

Last week, something exciting happened at the White House. President Trump threw his 100 percent support behind building the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum on The National Mall. We must seize this opportunity, working together across this political spectrum, and get the job done.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with all of my colleagues. I thank all the women and the men who have been so supportive of this project, and I look forward to seeing all of them at the groundbreaking.

Ms. De La CRUZ. Chu).

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