We Demand More

We Demand More Coalition’ Applauds President-Elect Biden’s COVID-19 Relief Proposal, Calls For Additional Executive Action.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Last night, President-elect Biden announced his administration’s $1.9T COVID-19 relief plan in response to the nearly 400,000 Americans who have died and the millions who are struggling from the global pandemic. The We Demand More Coalition, a collection of organizations fighting for women, in particular Black, Indigenous and other women of color, on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, released the following statement:

“We thank President-elect Biden for his commitment to providing critical COVID-19 relief, including a national vaccination program that invests in community vaccination sites, COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, emergency paid leave, raising the minimum wage, investing in child care, and investment in small businesses and communities. This initial rescue package is key to meeting the immediate needs of millions of families, slowing the devastating spread of COVID-19 and providing vital economic relief. We encourage the administration and Congress not to back down from these bold policies as a bill makes its way through the legislative process.”

“We also urge the Biden administration to expand their COVID-19 response to include halting the attacks on reproductive care, including abortion. President-elect Biden should use executive action to lift the FDA’s in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone for the duration of the public health emergency, consistent with similar directives and waivers issued to reduce risk of COVID-19. He should consider issuing a Statement of Administrative Policy stating that he will not sign any COVID relief package that expands or reiterates abortion coverage bans. We also call for the release of incarcerated individuals in group settings. We Demand More calls for the expansion of emergency paid leave and paid sick leave to make these policies permanent. We look forward to working with the Biden administration and the 117th Congress on a broader recovery package and to dismantle barriers to COVID-19 relief for Black, Brown and immigrant communities, regardless of status,” said Angela Cobián, Director of the We Demand More coalition.

We Demand More has been advocating for these policies and initiatives since last year. The need is increasingly urgent; the most recent jobs report shows that women of color continue to bear the brunt of the economic devastation of the pandemic: some 82,000 Black women, 31,000 Latinas, and 61,000 Asian women lost their jobs in December due to the pandemic.

About We Demand More We Demand More is a coalition of organizations using our collective power to fight for the courageous women workers and caretakers, especially women of color, who are on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis and who are particularly impacted. Their lives, livelihoods, and families depend on lawmakers and business leaders doing more — and we need everyone to demand more. We’ve formed the We Demand More coalition to fight for five demands from Congress and corporate leaders:

1. Prioritize our health and safety ahead of corporations.
2. Get life-sustaining relief to us NOW.
3. Make state governments strong; they are our lifeline.
4. Stop the attacks on our reproductive health care, including abortion access.
5. Protect our safety and our right to vote in 2020.

More information on the We Demand More coalition can be found on its website at www.WeDemandMore.org and its letter to Congress can be found here. Below is a full list of the We Demand More coalition’s members:

• Abortion Access Force
• Advocates for Youth
• All Women's Progress
• All* Above All Action Fund
• African American Ministers In Action
• American Association of University Women Action Fund
• Birth In Color RVA
• Black Women's Roundtable
• California National Organization for Women
• Catholics for Choice
• Center for American Progress Fund
• Chicago Foundation for Women
• Clearinghouse on Women's Issues
• Coalition of Labor Union Women
• Daily Kos
• DemCast USA
• End Rape on Campus
• Equal Pay Today
• Equal Rights Advocates
• Feminist Majority
• Feminist Women's Health Center
• Free Speech For People
• Global Justice Center
• The Greenlining Institute
• Hollaback!
• Hopewell Fund
• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
• Mass NOW
• Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable
• MomsRising Together
• NARAL Pro-Choice America
• NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland
• National Birth Equity Collaborative
• National Black Justice Coalition
• National Organization for Women
• National Organization for Women - Connecticut chapter National Women's Health Network
• National Women’s Law Center
• New American Leaders Action Fund
• New Century Trust
• New Voices for Reproductive Justice
• Paid Leave for All Action
• PathWays PA
• Period Equity
• Planned Parenthood Action Fund
• Public Citizen
• Resilience
• ServeUSA
• Sisters Lead Sisters Vote
• SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective
• Supermajority
• Ultraviolet
• United State of Women
• URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
• #VOTEPROCHOICE
• Voto Latino
• Women Employed
• Women's Fund of Rhode Island
• Women’s March