Equal pay is not only a women’s issue – it is also a moral, family, and economic issue. In our country it is a moral issue to treat everyone equally for the work they do. Equal pay will also help grow our economy and support families by making home ownership, education, advanced training, and retirement more accessible for more Coloradans. In Congress I have and will always fight to ensure that women are paid equally for the work they do.

Colorado families are working hard to make ends meet, a task made harder when a family welcomes a new child or someone falls sick and paid leave is not available. We cannot support parents, promote early childhood development, or care for our aging generations without policies that make it possible for American workers to care for their families without fear of losing pay or their jobs. I believe it is time to move our economy into the 21st century. That includes modern family leave policies. I am fighting to ensure that all workers are able to care for their families without enduring financial hardship – whether they need sick time, parental leave, or time to care for family members.  

Existing penalties for sexual harassment and misconduct are woefully inadequate to punish those who abused their power and violated the trust of their subordinates and the American people. We must hold our elected leaders to a higher standard of conduct. When ethics investigations find that members of Congress have committed sexual harassment or assault – or they resign to avoid the consequences of such an investigation – they should lose their congressional pension.

I will always fight to protect a woman’s right to choose. Women should have the right to make healthcare decisions that are right for them and their families. Over 70% of Americans think that women should have a legal right to an abortion. Stripping women’s health care funding from the federal budget and removing protections for women’s healthcare from our laws will hurt families across the country and in Colorado. In Congress, I have fought to protect  a woman’s right to choose, while simultaneously working to continue funding critical resources like Planned Parenthood. I will continue to ensure that protections for maternity care are not removed from our health care laws and that families are able to take paid sick leave. I look at my daughter and cannot stand to think that she will have to wage this same fight when she is grown. But you do not have to have a daughter to support women and families across the country.