,,iii #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #hg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #c1 #bjba ,ms4 ,klobuchar 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,ms4 ,rosen1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,brown1 and ,mr4 ,durbin7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,,resolution ,recognizing that the ,united ,states needs a ,marshall ,plan for ,moms in order to revitalize and restore mothers in the workforce4 ,whereas any relief and long-term recovery from the economic fallout of the ,,covid-#ai pandemic must recognize1 rebuild1 and return mothers to the workforce2 ,whereas women1 and especially working mothers1 are bearing the brunt of the economic fallout from the ,,covid-#ai pandemic as a result of existing social barriers and policy failures such as-- 7#a7 the lack of a care infrastructure1 including child care deserts and lack of care infrastructure caused by high child care costs2 7#b7 the lack of family-supportive workplaces2 7#c7 the lack of a national paid leave policy2 and 7#d7 gender and racial pay inequity2 ,whereas1 at the beginning of #bjbj1 women made up the majority of the workforce for the first time in almost a decade1 even as women continued to face unjust gender and racial wage gaps2 ,whereas #b1cjj1jjj women have left the labor force since the beginning of the ,,covid-#ai pandemic1 including #bge1jjj who exited in ,january #bjba2 ,whereas participation by women in the labor force was less than #ee percent in ,april #bjbj for the first time since #aihf1 in part because of the child care crisis caused by the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2 ,whereas participation by women age #bj and older in the labor force fell to a #cc-year low in ,january #bjba1 hitting #eg percent2 ,whereas women-- 7#a7 have suffered the majority of pandemic-related job losses2 and 7#b7 have lost over #e1djj1jjj net jobs since ,february #bjbj1 and account for #ee percent of overall net job loss since the start of the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2 ,whereas #hf percent of net jobs lost in ,december #bjbj were jobs held by women1 with women losing #aif1jjj jobs during that month2 ,whereas mothers in the prime of their working lives have paid an especially high price1 with mothers ages #be to #ed experiencing a #e4g-percentage point decline in employment since the ,,covid-#ai pandemic began1 compared to a #c4a percentage-point decline for fathers in the same age group2 ,whereas women are overrepresented in low-wage jobs and underrepresented in high-wage jobs2 ,whereas employment in the bottom quartile of the wage distribution has declined by #ag percent since ,february #bjbj1 far exceeding the overall employment decline of #f4e percent2 ,whereas wages for women are key to the economic security of the families of such women2 ,whereas women of color play a particularly vital role in the financial stability of their families1 and any disruption to their earnings can be detrimental to the welfare of their families2 ,whereas the absence of affordable child care exacerbates inequality by severely inhibiting low-income parents from attaining promotions and higher salaries2 ,whereas child nutrition is strongly linked to the employment status of mothers1 such that almost #a in #d children experienced food insecurity in #bjbj at the same time that mothers experienced work disruptions or unemployment that led to income loss2 ,whereas work interruptions caused by school closures and child care closures have disproportionately impacted women1 forcing women to reduce work hours1 take a leave of absence1 or permanently leave the workforce2 ,whereas1 without reliable and affordable child care1 mothers who have left the workforce will not be able to return to work1 since such mothers often cannot pay for child care without the income made from going back to work2 ,whereas essential workers who are single parents face additional challenges and greater financial burden due to needing affordable child care2 ,whereas the ,,covid-#ai pandemic has exacerbated existing stigmas against working mothers that falsely assume that their role as caregivers will negatively impact their work performance2 ,whereas mothers forced to permanently leave the workforce or reduce work hours because of the ,,covid-#ai pandemic are experiencing career trajectory disruptions that lower their lifetime earnings potential and endanger their future ,social ,security earnings and other potential retirement income2 ,whereas child care is a lifeline for working mothers1 and over #ge percent of mothers with children younger than age #aj say child care is one of their top #c challenges during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2 ,whereas1 in #bjai1 before the ,,covid-#ai pandemic hit the ,united ,states1 there were roughly #i1gjj1jjj working mothers with a child younger than age #f2 ,whereas #ie percent of the child care workforce is composed of women1 and yet nearly #b_/c of child care workers with children report problems with accessing public support programs and often struggle to afford high-quality child care for their own families2 ,whereas #fj percent of businesses in the child care industry are minority owned2 ,whereas a significant investment in child care would be simultaneously job creating and job enabling1 creating care jobs and supporting parental employment1 both of which would benefit women2 ,whereas women of color are disproportionately represented in many frontline industries that also lack critical benefits such as paid sick leave and flexibility to telework1 including food services1 hospitality1 retail1 and social assistance2 ,whereas the unprecedented burdens of child care1 work1 and remote learning have strained the mental and emotional health of mothers2 and ,whereas access to paid leave during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic has been linked to a reduction in the spread of ,,covid-#ai by as many as #ae1jjj new cases per day where people were able to use the leave1 such that paid leave has prevented the compounded stressors of countless evictions1 hospitalizations1 and hungry children3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense of the ,senate that-- 7#a7 mothers1 especially mothers of color1 have been pushed to the brink of economic1 social1 and emotional collapse during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic because of the existing economic and social inequalities that women have long faced2 7#b7 any relief and long-term recovery package to address the ,,covid-#ai crisis should recognize and rebuild moms in the workforce1 in order to secure meaningful and sustainable economic recovery1 by including1 at a minimum-- 7,a7 a robust paid leave plan1 which is essential to securing the physical health and financial health of families1 including emergency paid leave policies that would create a path toward permanent paid leave solutions2 7,b7 the means to rebuild and stabilize the child care industry1 which is essential to economic recovery and bolstering women in the labor force2 7,c7 major investments in our education systems1 which must be made in order to safely reopen schools and campuses1 providing funding to support and protect the safety and health of educators1 support staff1 students1 and families2 7,d7 recurring child benefits1 and expanded and improved child tax credit and earned income tax credit to help reduce child poverty and provide economic security for families2 7,e7 an expanded unemployment insurance program that benefits struggling workers1 including those experiencing long-term unemployment2 and 7,f7 access to mental health support for mothers1 which is essential to maintaining the health of the family2 and 7#c7 employers and policymakers in the ,united ,states must prioritize addressing the economic cliff facing mothers1 and make permanent the aforementioned policies so that mothers are protected against any future economic calamities4