Happy Women’s History Month, Contrarians!
By Jennifer Weiss Wolf
Jen Rubin’s Monday morning column calls out the Dickensian nature of Trump’s agenda, the “abject immorality that is part and parcel of an ideology based on vengeful victimhood, conspiracy-mongering, and repudiation of science.”
Beyond the sheer cruelty, Trump’s antagonism toward government—and the attempts to swiftly dismantle federal agencies’ productivity and purpose—is a simultaneous affront to and attack on women and LGBTQ communities. Please make no mistake: that is by design. As Professor Tressie McMillan Cottam underscores: “By giving people a scapegoat, giving men a scapegoat … it says not only are women the enemy, are people of color and minorities the enemy, but the government is protecting them. So not only do we need to push these people out, but we need to delegitimize and gut the government that made them possible so it doesn’t happen again.”
In the weeks and months to come, as we collectively continue to litigate and report and write and resist, we must not lose sight of this reality. Because countering attacks on gender is foundational to the work of protecting and preserving democracy.
As today’s headlines highlight Trump’s withdrawal of aid to Ukraine and imposition of tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico – and the lowlights of his remarks to a joint session of Congress (as per Jen Rubin, “the smallest, lowest speech in modern presidential history”)—here are stories that also warrant attention:
Spending. House Republicans passed a budget resolution mirroring Trump’s vision of a “big, beautiful bill,” one that extends tax breaks to broligarchs and slashes federal spending. Notably, it includes more than $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid—for which women make up the majority of the adults who rely on it for primary and preventive care. Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández stated bluntly: “Women cannot afford the Republican budget.”
Public health. As part of the administration’s push to obliterate federal medical research information, Talking Points Memo recently discovered and reported that among the casualties of Trump’s DEI executive order is key data from the Centers for Disease Control’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Charged with improving outcomes for babies and mothers, this research program has catalogued and analyzed infant and maternal health data since 1988.
Education. Schools run by the U.S. Department of Defense, abroad and at home, began to censor curriculum and activities last month, including curtailing Black History Month celebrations and taking down signage (the likes of which dared to state “All Are Welcome”). Now, they take aim at student organizations. Last week, schools for children of U.S. military members based in England and Germany reportedly paused STEM programming for girls and Pride clubs for all.
IVF. I explain here why the recent executive order on IVF is, at best, useless. At worst, it is a convention of red flags. Meanwhile, the story of twenty-four-year-old Ryleigh Cooper of Michigan went viral. Ryleigh is a (former) U.S. Forest Service employee who voted for Trump based on his campaign promise to make IVF affordable and instead found herself quickly out of a job, due to the DOGE purge. Now that she is without either a paycheck or health insurance, she told CNN she regrets casting her ballot for Trump.
Anti-Trans Discrimination. Maine Governor Janet Mills stood in bold opposition to the executive order banning trans athletes from women’s sports. She stands apart as one of the few political leaders to personally counter Trump. When he threatened denial of federal funding to her state during a White House event, she responded precisely as she should have: “See you in court.” Since then, the administration has targeted Maine with multiple investigations: into the Maine Department of Education under Title IX; a compliance review of the University of Maine by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and with a letter issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi threatening officials in Maine (and California and Minnesota) with lawsuits.
Senate Democrats banded together to block an administration-endorsed bill that would prohibit federally funded schools from allowing transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. In Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill that removes gender identity from the state’s civil rights law, which had been amended in 2007 to include sexual orientation and gender identity. It is the first state to rescind the civil rights of a previously protected class.
Resources to bookmark. I am regularly scouring for comprehensive resources to uplift. On my go-to list is Repro Red Flags: Agency Watch, which shares research on federal appointees, their anti-abortion backgrounds, and the key powers of the agencies they will oversee; it also provides opportunities for taking action to oppose those who endanger reproductive rights and health. This week’s flag features what to watch for at the March 6 confirmation hearing for Dr. Martin Makary as U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner. Another good summary of the first six weeks (has it really been less than 50 days?) is The 19th Newsroom’s comprehensive One Month Status on Trump Executive Orders.
I’ve added to this column a new update: “When Women Resist”—a companion to the Democracy Movement roundup:
I was thrilled to see Vermont’s Mad River Valley in the news this past weekend. Sugarbush was my second home as a kid. I still live by Mad River Glen’s motto and ethos: “Ski It If You Can.” Turns out JD Vance and family cannot ski it—they were iced out of vacation after protestors lined the streets and slopes.
But the real MVP is local snow reporter Lucy Welch, whose morning message to skiers blasted the slashing of U.S. Forest Service jobs and noted the resort is on National Forest land: “I hope everyone coming to the mountain…is using their voice and standing up for what they know our community is and should be standing for. Our special guest, in my humble opinion, does not reflect the values and the magic of this place.”
Thank you, Lucy. May we all have the courage to use our voice so boldly, whenever the opportunity arises.
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf is executive director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU School of Law.
......and the women who voted for Trump? How come? Surely nothing in his past indicated respect for women or that he cared a fig for women's' health.
Department of Defense schools get strong outcomes with a diverse population that is highly mobile, which is no small feat. The DoD has the only school system of the United States that did not see a drop in test scores during the pandemic. Data could tell us how the changes you describe affect student outcomes, but the Trump administration is actively undermining educational data collection. I am particularly horrified by girls being excluded from STEM. This means girls can’t learn science, technology, engineering, and math. This is the stuff of the Taliban.
I looked up the racial breakdown of the military. 20% of the military are Black. But no Black history allowed in the schools! Whites are just barely in the majority. Sickening policies.