PROBLEM SOLVERS CAUCUS PRAISES PASSAGE OF SMITHSONIAN WOMEN’S HISTORY MUSEUM ACT

WASHINGTON – Today, February 11, 2020, the Problem Solvers Caucus praised the House passage H.R. 1980, the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced the bill on March 28, 2019 with Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). The legislation was formally endorsed by the Problem Solvers Caucus on July 25, 2019 with the bipartisan efforts of Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV).

“It is astonishing how hard it is to get things done for women in Washington, DC. It took nearly 20 years to pass a bill just to create a Congressional Commission to study whether a museum should be built. That bipartisan Commission unanimously concluded that the country wants, needs and deserves a women’s history museum. I thank the Problem Solvers Caucus for its endorsement and support, and am proud to say that the bill passed overwhelmingly with 374 bipartisan votes. Women are half the population. This is not about politics or partisanship. This is about giving women – all women – their rightful place in history,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).

“I’m incredibly proud that the House has come together to pass this important bipartisan legislation, which was brought to a vote through House rules changes championed by our Problem Solvers Caucus,” said Problem Solvers Co-Chair, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). “I commend Congresswoman Maloney for her years of leadership on this bill, and I’m proud we were able to play a small part in pushing it forward. It is high time that the critical history and work of women are fully recognized, promoted, exhibited and celebrated within one of our country’s most important cultural institutions.”

“Today’s bipartisan vote to establish a Smithsonian Women’s History Museum is long overdue,” said Problem Solvers Co-Chair Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY). “As the youngest of 12, raised by a single mother after my father died when I was 2, I have seen firsthand the countless contributions and sacrifices that women across our country have made to help shape our nation into what it is today. The Problem Solvers Caucus thanks Congresswoman Maloney for her leadership on this issue.”

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The Problem Solvers Caucus is a bipartisan group in Congress comprising 48 members – equally divided between Democrats and Republicans – who are committed to forging bipartisan cooperation on key issues. It is co-chaired by Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY).