Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–July 26, 2013.  The Senate Appropriations Committee approved yesterday a provision that would lift the total ban on abortion coverage for Peace Corps Volunteers in the bill that funds U.S. foreign affairs. This provision would grant women in the Peace Corps access to abortion coverage in cases of rape,[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–July 26, 2013.  Thousands of people from across the country took action last month to prevent Dow AgroSciences from using its influence to insert Farm Bill language that would allow the food uses of the pesticide sulfuryl fluoride to continue, despite a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal to[Read More…]

NEW YORK–(ENEWSPF)–July 26, 2013.  U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. yesterday said he will ask a federal judge to require Texas to submit all voting law changes to the Justice Department for approval due to the state’s history of discrimination. The move follows the recent Supreme Court ruling in Shelby County[Read More…]

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–July 24, 2013.  Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden released the following reaction to President Barack Obama’s remarks in at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, earlier today: President Obama’s speech today marked the beginning of a new campaign to shake Washington out of its bizarre obsession with the[Read More…]

OREGON—(ENEWSPF)—July 24, 2013. Editor’s Note: We wish to thank our colleagues at the Drug Policy Alliance for providing these two powerful and thought-provoking pieces: one by Drug Policy Alliance Communications Director, Sharda Sekaran, and the second by best-selling author, Michelle Alexander. Huffington Post In Order to Address Racism, We Must Confront the[Read More…]

Gina McCarthy wins Senate approval, 59-40, to lead the EPA Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–July 18, 2013. After a 136-day confirmation fight, the longest for any U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator in history, the U.S. Senate voted 59–40 today to confirm Gina McCarthy to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Gina McCarthy.  (EPA) The following[Read More…]

WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–July 18, 2013.  Planned Parenthood Federation of America released the following statement condemning  language restricting women’s access to reproductive health care in the FY 14 House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill and praising two pro-women’s health amendments introduced at today’s markup of the legislation in the House Appropriations[Read More…]

WASHINGTON, DC–(ENEWSPF)–July 18, 2013.  After the Senate confirmed Tom Perez to be the next Secretary of Labor, Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement: “We are delighted that Tom Perez has finally been confirmed and can now take on the important job[Read More…]

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–July 18, 2013.  With the U.S. House of Representatives expected to vote later this week on the Student Success Act, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act—currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act—Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued[Read More…]

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–July 18, 2013.  Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress, and Anne Johnson, Director of Generation Progress, responded today to the efforts by a bipartisan coalition in the U.S. Senate to reach a compromise to reduce student-loan interest rates, which doubled on subsidized[Read More…]