Rep. Garamendi Joins DWC to Demand Restoration of Women’s History and Latino Smithsonian Museums

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08) joined House Democratic Women's Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), DWC Executive Steering Committee Members Judy Chu (CA-28) and Debbie Dingell (MI-06), and 145 Members of the Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC) and House Democrats in sending a letter to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (LA-04) urging him to restore the longstanding, bipartisan version of The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Act (H.R. 1329), which would solidify plans for the museum. In their letter, Members make clear their support for passage of the bill depends on Republicans reinstating the bill's bipartisan foundation and commitment to pair it with Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino Act (H.R. 1330).

This letter follows a March 18 House Administration Committee hearing in which House Republicans introduced and adopted a hyper-partisan version of the bill that abruptly derailed the years-long, bipartisan effort to advance the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum and National Museum of the American Latino. The bill as reported out of Committee gives unprecedented and undue control over the museum to President Trump. It also threatens the inclusion of transgender women and girls from the museum while opening the door to broader exclusion of other women. Before this last-minute amendment, the work to establish the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum had been a bipartisan effort rooted in the joint conviction that women's history and women's stories are central to the identity of our nation. 

In the letter, the Members emphasized, "The buildings that house museums are interpretative objects themselves. Their design and location frame how visitors understand the content inside. The design and location of a museum about women, fought for and supported by women, should not be controlled by one man and his loyalists-particularly not a man who has been found liable for sexual assault, and regularly denigrates women based on physical appearance, among other repulsive behaviors. American women deserve better. The American people deserve better."

The Members also explain that a provision in the Republican-amended version threatens the inclusion of transgender women and girls while opening the door to broader exclusion of other women.

"The amended bill also now vaguely states that only 'biological women' can be included in the museum. While the author's intent is clearly to target transgender women and girls, the provision invites arbitrary enforcement and could be used to challenge the inclusion of any woman or girl a politician deems not 'feminine' enough. This is just another example of Republicans needlessly adding an anti-transgender provision to an unrelated bill that would impact not just transgender women and girls but all women and girls."

The Members close by declaring that their support for the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum bill is contingent on the retention of the museum's spirit and the bill's bipartisan foundation.

"If Republicans truly want to celebrate women's history, we call on you and your colleagues to restore the bipartisan version of this bill and move it forward with us. Our support for this bill is contingent on the retention of the museum's spirit and the bill's bipartisan foundation. Absent those conditions, we will be compelled to oppose the politicized version of H.R. 1329 on the House floor."

Read the letter here. Read additional information about DWC's efforts to finalize the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum here.

The letter was also signed by Representatives Pete Aguilar, Gabe Amo, Yassamin Ansari, Becca Balint, Nanette Barragán, Joyce Beatty, Wesley Bell, Suzanne Bonamici, Julia Brownley, Shontel Brown, Nikki Budzinski, Janelle Bynum, Salud Carbajal, André Carson, Ed Case, Sean Casten, Kathy Castor, Joaquin Castro, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Gilbert Cisneros, Yvette Clarke, Katherine Clark, Steve Cohen, J. Correa, Jim Costa, Joe Courtney, Angie Craig, Jasmine Crockett, Jason Crow, Sharice Davids, Danny Davis, Madeleine Dean, Diana DeGette, Suzan DelBene, Maxine Dexter, Lloyd Doggett, Sarah Elfreth, Veronica Escobar, Adriano Espaillat, Dwight Evans, Lizzie Fletcher, Valerie Foushee, Lois Frankel, Laura Friedman, Jesús García, Robert Garcia, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Maggie Goodlander, Josh Gottheimer, Adelita Grijalva, Jahana Hayes, Steven Horsford, Chrissy Houlahan, Val Hoyle, Jared Huffman, Glenn Ivey, Jonathan Jackson, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, Julie Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Robin Kelly, Rick Larsen, George Latimer, Summer Lee, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Mike Levin, Sam Liccardo, Ted Lieu, Zoe Lofgren, Stephen Lynch, John Mannion, Lucy McBath, Sarah McBride, April McClain Delaney, Jennifer McClellan, Betty McCollum, James McGovern, LaMonica McIver, Christian Menefee, Robert Menendez, Grace Meng, Dave Min, Gwen Moore, Joseph Morelle, Kelly Morrison, Jared Moskowitz, Jerrold Nadler, Joe Neguse, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Johnny Olszewski, Frank Pallone, Jimmy Panetta, Nancy Pelosi, Scott Peters, Brittany Pettersen, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Nellie Pou, Ayanna Pressley, Delia Ramirez, Emily Randall, Jamie Raskin, Luz Rivas, Deborah Ross, Raul Ruiz, Andrea Salinas, Linda Sánchez, Mary Gay Scanlon, Janice Schakowsky, Hillary Scholten, Robert Scott, Terri Sewell, Lateefah Simon, Eric Sorensen, Melanie Stansbury, Greg Stanton, Haley Stevens, Marilyn Strickland, Emilia Sykes, Mark Takano, Shri Thanedar, Bennie Thompson, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Paul Tonko, Norma Torres, Ritchie Torres, Lori Trahan, Derek Tran, Lauren Underwood, Juan Vargas, Marc Veasey, Nydia Velázquez, James Walkinshaw, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Nikema Williams, and Frederica Wilson.

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