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Throughout the country, women are seeing historically low unemployment and a roaring economy under President Trump’s leadership. Here in Iowa, President Trump continues to invest in policies that positively benefit women by creating more jobs, higher wages, and empowering women to reach their economic potential.

The unemployment rate for women across the country is at its lowest in nearly 70 years, over 3.4 million jobs have been added for women, and the administration has taken steps to ensure working mothers can take part in the booming economy by expanding on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs that help working parents secure good-paying jobs.

By investing into the future of our country and prioritizing support towards women in our economy today,  we have more women in the workforce than ever before, greater access to quality education, and better care for our children, all thanks to this administration.

The Facts:

WOMEN ARE REAPING THE REWARDS OF THE TRUMP ECONOMY, RECEIVING THE LION’S SHARE OF NEW JOBS AND EXPERIENCING HISTORICALLY LOW UNEMPLOYMENT

Women’s unemployment has been lower under President Trump than it’s been in nearly 70 years.

Under President Trump, women have benefited from the roaring jobs market,accounting for 56% of the jobs created since he took office.

PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS PRIORITIZED EMPOWERING WOMEN  TO ACHIEVE THEIR ECONOMIC POTENTIAL

President Trump has directed more than $200 million per year to technology education grants for women and minorities prioritizing programs that encourage women to participate in STEM careers.

Ivanka Trump created a $50 million Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative which further helps women around the world realize their economic potential.

AS A PART OF HIS LANDMARK TAX CUT, PRESIDENT TRUMP INCREASED THE CHILD TAX CREDIT BY 100%, ENSURING MORE MONEY WILL GO BACK INTO THE POCKETS OF HARDWORKING MOTHERS

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act included a 100% increase to the Child Tax Credit, a proven tax cut that has lifted millions of Americans out of poverty.

These programs are particularly important to low-income workers and parents, who often cannot afford school expenses or juggle work, school, and caring for their children.

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS PUSHING FOR PAID FAMILY LEAVE TO ENSURE WORKING MOTHERS ARE NOT RUSHED BACK TO WORK

President Trump included a 6 week family leave proposal in his FY 2020 budget .

The proposal also calls for a $1 billion fund that would be used to help workers and employers create child-care programs.

___________________________

WOMEN ARE REAPING THE REWARDS OF THE TRUMP ECONOMY, RECEIVING THE LION’S SHARE OF NEW JOBS AND EXPERIENCING HISTORICALLY LOW UNEMPLOYMENT

Women’s Unemployment Is Lower Under President Trump Than It Has Been In Nearly 70 Years

In June, The Unemployment Rate For Women Was 3.6 Percent, Near A Generational Low. Bureau Of Labor Statistics , Accessed 7/9/19)

  • The Last Time The Women’s Unemployment Was This Low Before The Trump Administration Was October 1953. Bureau Of Labor Statistics , Accessed 7/9/19)
  • The Women’s Unemployment Rate Has Been Under 4 Percent For 12 Straight Months, The Longest Streak Since 1952. Bureau Of Labor Statistics , Accessed 7/9/19)

Under President Trump Women Have Benefitted From The Roaring Jobs Market, Accounting For 56% Of The Jobs Created Since He Took Office

Since President Trump’s Election, The U.S. Economy Has Added More Than 3.4 Million New Jobs For Women Bureau Of Labor Statistics , Accessed 7/9/19)

In President Trump’s First Year In Office, The Number Of American Women In Poverty Fell By Nearly 600,000. U.S. Census Bureau , Accessed 5/30/19)

PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS MADE EMPOWERING WOMEN TO ACHIEVE THEIR ECONOMIC POTENTIAL A PRIORITY IN HIS ADMINISTRATION

President Trump And His Daughter Ivanka Have Made Empowering Women To Pursue Careers And Realize Their Economic Potential A Priority Both At Home And Abroad

President Trump Directed More Than $200 Million Per Year To Technology Education Grants For Women And Minorities Prioritizing . Programs That Encourage Women To Participate In STEM Careers. “President Donald Trump on Monday directed at least $200 million a year to technology education grants for women and minorities. The president signed a memo instructing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to prioritize STEM through existing competitive grant programs that will encourage women and minorities to participate in coding and other computer-based careers – though senior administration officials offered few specifics on how they would fulfill that goal.” ( Politico , 9/25/17)

  • The Announcement Comes As Part Of An Effort To Address Gender Inequality In Tech By “Designing These Education Programs To Encourage Gender And Racial Diversity.”“The grants won’t require congressional approval or new appropriations, White House officials said, because they will rely on existing Education Department funds. The announcement comes amid a national discussion about gender equality in Silicon Valley, sparked by allegations of sexism at Uber, Google and other startups. Administration officials suggested the timing is not coincidental. ‘Women are not equally participating in certain lucrative industries and fields, and we’re looking to change the equation by designing these education programs to encourage gender and racial diversity,’ one senior official said. ‘It is clearly an enormous problem.'” ( Politico , 9/25/17)

Ivanka Trump Created The Women’s Global Development And Prosperity Initiative Which Furthers This Aim Of Helping Women Around The World Realize Their Economic Potential. “First daughter Ivanka Trump wants to help 50 million women around the world ‘realize their economic potential’ by 2025. Experts who work with women’s issues in the global development community are hopeful about the new initiative – but raise questions about the timing of the announcement and the lack of specifics. Trump, a senior adviser to President Trump, announced the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative last week in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.” ( NPR , 2/12/19)

  • The Fund Aims To Get All U.S. Foreign Assistance Agencies To Give Top Priority To Women’s Economic Development And Sets Up A $50 Million Fund To Invest In Programs That Can Help Make It Easier For Women To Find Jobs. “It aims to get all U.S. foreign assistance agencies – including the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Peace Corps and six others – to give top priority to push for women’s economic development. And it sets up a $50 million fund for USAID to invest in new programs that can help make it easier for women to find jobs, start their own businesses and do business. A White House press conference about the initiative identified the range of women who might be helped, from a dairy farmer in Georgia to the founder of a women’s group in Malawi.” ( NPR , 2/12/19)

Thanks To Ivanka Trump’s Advocacy, The Ivory Coast Passed Landmark Protections For Women That Make The Countries Family Code More Equitable

During Her Visit To The Ivory Coast To Promote Her Women’s Economic Development Fund Ivanka Trump Successfully Advocated For Changes That Make The Countries Family Code More Equitable To Women. “Ivanka Trump is applauding the recent passage of legislation in Ivory Coast related to changes she pushed during her April trip to Africa. The country is in the process of updating its family code to make it more equitable to women – a move President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter and senior adviser praised as ‘a great step forward.’ ‘We are pleased to recognize and applaud the Ivorian government’s recent passage of the marriage law, which supports women’s equal management of household assets,’ she said in a statement to The Associated Press.” ( The New York Times , 7/9/19)

Trump Met With Ivory Coast Vice President Daniel Duncan And Advocated For The Legislation That Would Eliminate Laws That Restricted Women From Owning Or Inheriting Property. “In her conversations with Ivory Coast Vice President Daniel Duncan during her visit, Ivanka Trump said, she and her team encouraged the passage of legislation to advance women’s rights and legal status, including doing away with laws that restricted women from owning or inheriting property.” ( The New York Times , 7/9/19)

Under The Revised Code, Husbands And Wives Will Have More Equal Say In Managing Household Assets, Widows Would Be Entitled To Inheritance, The Minimum Age For Marriage Is 18 And The Law Tightens Domestic Violence Protections. “Under the revised code, husbands and wives will have more equal say in managing household assets and making financial decisions. That’s in addition to other changes, such as new measures to ensure that widows are entitled to inheritances, additional protections against domestic violence, and setting the minimum age for marriage at 18 for both women and men.” ( The New York Times , 7/9/19)

AS A PART OF HIS LANDMARK TAX CUT, PRESIDENT TRUMP INCREASED THE CHILD TAX CREDIT BY 100%, ENSURING MORE MONEY WILL GO BACK INTO THE POCKETS OF HARDWORKING MOTHERS

The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act Included A 100% Increase To The Child Tax Credit, A Proven Fiscal Mechanism That Has Lifted Millions Of Americans Out Of Poverty

The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act Expanded The Child Tax Credit From $1,000 Per Child To A Maximum Of $2,000 Per Child For Middle Income Families. “The current child tax credit is $1,000 per child. The House and Senate bills expanded the child tax credit, with the Senate going up to a maximum of $2,000 per child. The final bill keeps the $2,000-per-child credit (families making up to about $400,000 get to take the credit).” ( The Washington Post , 12/15/17)

  • The Bill Also Expands The Refundable Portion Of The Child Tax Credit, Meaning That Families That Do Not Earn Enough To Owe Federal Income Tax Will Receive A Check From The Government For Up To $1,400 . “It also makes more of the tax credit refundable, meaning families that work but don’t earn enough to actually owe any federal income taxes will get a large check back from the government. Benefits for those families were initially limited to about $1,100, but through changes Rubio and Lee pushed for, it’s now up to $1,400.” ( The Washington Post , 12/15/17)
  • The Bill Makes The Child Tax Credit “More Generous For Low-Income Families.”“Thanks to a late push by Rubio and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), the child tax credit would be more generous for low-income families and the working class.” ( The Washington Post , 12/15/17)

In 2016, The Child Tax Credit, Combined With Other Refundable Credits, Lifted 8.2 Million Americans Out Of Poverty According To The U.S. Census Bureau Report On Poverty. “The CTC and EITC have also done exactly what they were intended to do: lift millions of people out of poverty. The latest report on poverty in America from the U.S. Census Bureau came out last week. It showed that refundable tax credits lifted 8.2 million Americans out of poverty in 2016, making the credits the second-best poverty reduction program in the United States after only Social Security.” ( The Washington Post , 9/19/17)

Research From The Center On Budget And Policy Priorities Suggests The Child Tax Credit Leads To Improved Educational Outcomes For Young Children In Low-Income Households. “Moreover, research suggests that income from the EITC and CTC leads to improved educational outcomes for young children in low-income households. For each $1,000 increase in annual income over two to five years, children’s school performance improves on a variety of measures, including academic test scores. A credit that’s worth about $3,000 (in 2005 dollars) during a child’s early years may boost his or her achievement by the equivalent of about two extra months of schooling.” ( Center On Budget And Policy Priorities , 10/1/15)

AS JOB GROWTH SOARS, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS TAKEN STEPS TO ENSURE WORKING MOTHERS CAN TAKE PART IN THE BOOMING ECONOMY

The Administration Has Created An Initiative On Workforce Development That Pledges On-The-Job Training For 6.5 Million Americans And Expanded The Federally Funded Apprenticeship Program

President Trump Signed An Executive Order On Workforce Development, Establishing The National Council For The American Worker Which Will Develop A “National Strategy To Train Americans For The Skills They Need To Fill Open Jobs Now And In The Future.” “The executive order also establishes the National Council for the American Worker, which will consist of cabinet members and senior White House officials. They are charged with developing a national strategy to train Americans for the skills they need to fill open jobs now and in the future. The order also created the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board that will bring together governors with business executives and educators.” ( CNN , 7/19/18)

  • So Far, 200 Companies And Associations Have Signed The Administration’s Pledge To America’s Workers, Promising To Create More Than 6.5 Million Education, Training And Skill-Building Opportunities Over The Next Five Years. “The White House said 200 companies and associations have signed the administration’s Pledge to America’s Workers, promising to create more than 6.5 million education, training and skill-building opportunities over the next five years. ‘The top priority for companies competing in the digital economy has to be investing in people,’ said Barbara Humpton, the chief executive officer of Siemens USA, a member of the board.” ( Bloomberg , 2/13/19)

The Initiative Expanded The Federally Funded Apprenticeship Program So Employees Can Learn While On The Job. “Mr. Trump’s action comes in the form of an executive order expanding federally funded apprenticeship programs. The order would create a category of programs that industry groups and other third parties could develop and then submit for Labor Department approval, rather than working within existing department guidelines. ‘Apprenticeships place students into great jobs without the crippling debt of traditional four-year college degrees,’ Mr. Trump said. ‘Instead apprentices earn while they learn.'” ( The New York Times , 6/15/17)

  • By Expanding Apprenticeship Programs, The White House Took A “Concrete” Step Towards Addressing “The Employment Prospects Of Workers Left Behind By The Current Economic Expansion.” ” President Trump is taking one of the most concrete steps of his presidency on Thursday to address the employment prospects of workers left behind by the current economic expansion. In doing so, he also joins a long-running and occasionally contentious debate over whether those workers have the skills they need to land desirable jobs.” ( The New York Times , 6/15/17)

These Programs Are Particularly Important To Low-Income Workers And Parents, Who Often Cannot Afford School Expenses Or Juggle Work, School, And Caring For Their Children

Gary Burtless, An Economist With The Brookings Institution, Said That A Portion Of Job Vacancies Are “Unquestionably Due To The Skills Gap” And That In Many Cases This Skills Barrier Can Be Overcome With On The Job Training. “On the one hand, ‘some of the current job vacancies are unquestionably due to the skills gap,’ said Gary Burtless, an economist with the Brookings Institution. ‘If job-seeking jobless workers and promotion-seeking but under-employed workers had exactly the right skills, many of the current job vacancies could be filled faster.’ At the same time, for many job openings, the barrier isn’t necessarily the lack of a college degree or specialized training, he said. In many cases, the ‘barrier’ can be overcome with on-the-job training and experience.” ( Politifact , 6/16/17)

“Education And Training Programs Can Help Low-Income Parents Improve Their Skills And Move Up To Better-Paying Jobs” But Paying For These Programs In Addition To Childcare Can Often Be Challenging For Working Class Families.“Education and training programs can help low-income parents improve their skills and move up to better-paying jobs, but many families face significant challenges paying for school expenses, juggling work and school, and arranging child care. Knowing more about who these parents are can help shape public policies and programs that support families’ work and education efforts.” ( The Urban Institute , 10/10/14)

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS PUSHING FOR PAID FAMILY LEAVE TO ENSURE WORKING MOTHERS ARE NOT RUSHED BACK TO WORK

President Trump Has Pushed For Paid Family Leave In His FY 2020 Budget

In President Trump’s FY 2020 Budget He Requests A “Sizeable Sum Be Spent Improving The Availability And Affordability Of Child Care.” “President Donald Trump’s 2020 budget proposal, which he sent to Congress on March 11, calls for a sizable sum to be spent improving the availability and affordability of child care. Trump’s record $4.75 trillion budget request, the largest in federal history, contains increased military spending, an additional $8.6 billion for construction of a border wall with Mexico, as well as $1 billion devoted to expanding childcare access.” ( CNBC, 3/12/19)

“The project would be handled through the Child Care and Development Block Grant program, which Trump allotted $5.3 billion to for fiscal year 2020, or the same amount that Congress set aside in 2019. The $1 billion one-time fund be in additional to this sum.” ( CNBC , 3/12/19)

President Trump’s Budget Also Pledged To Provide Paid Parental Leave To Working Parents. “Trump’s budget also pledged to provide paid parental leave to working parents, which would be another way the government could help parents offset some of the financial burden of childcare.” ( CNBC , 3/12/19)

Paid Family Leave Is A “Priority” For The Trump Administration, And President Trump Has Touted His Support For Such A Program On Multiple Occasions. “Paid family leave is still a priority for the administration of President Donald Trump. In his budget released on Monday, the President called for six weeks’ paid leave for new parents, including adoptive parents, to recover from child birth and care for their children. But specific details on how such a plan would work are still up in the air. Trump has touted his family leave plan on multiple occasions before, notably his State of the Union addresses and past budgets.” ( CNBC , 3/12/18)

74 Percent Of Americans Support Paid Family Leave. “Americans are also concerned about who will pay for family leave programs, according to a December survey from Cato. Most Americans – 74 percent – support 12 weeks of federal paid family leave for new parents or individuals with medical conditions, the survey found.” ( CNBC , 3/12/18)

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