In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.
Lest We Forget
“We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper.”
—Elon Musk on X, as his work to dismantle USAID continues. Thousands of staff have been fired or put on leave, Secretary of State Rubio was named acting administrator, and DOGE officials forcefully gained access to classified USAID materials.
“The Donald Trump administration strategy … is to flood the zone: to inundate the public with so many orders and changes and appointments and firings that no one can keep up with all of it. The point is to overwhelm. Overwhelmed people don’t fight back.
“These men want to break things (the government, our collective sense of reality). This is not a foregone conclusion, not yet. But fighting back means maintaining the ability to see the big picture, and resisting getting bogged down by—overwhelmed by—the deluge.”
“I know there’s some Black girl, so many Black women watching me right now. And I wanna tell you, you can do it. Anything is possible. Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you.”
—Doechii accepting her first Grammy Award.
“The chaos of this administration does nothing to help women and working families across the country. They think that by freezing federal funding and seizing independent agencies, taking money that was democratically allocated through Congress to help working families, that they are going to somehow help working families. They will distract us from the fact that they are nominating Cabinet picks who believe women don’t belong in the workforce, in voting booths, or military uniforms. But we’re paying attention. We see them, and we are calling out the injustice.”
—Democratic Women’s Caucus vice chair Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), at a press conference hosted by the Caucus on Feb. 7.
“The Laken Riley Act will not make our communities safer. Instead, it strips immigrants of their rights and instills more fear in an already terrifying moment. We know undocumented immigrants were already avoiding healthcare treatment to prevent the chance of being criminalized by government agencies. This particularly impacts pregnant people who are faced with an impossible choice of seeking critical reproductive health services, like prenatal care and childbirth services, or face the risk of being separated from their communities.”
—Regina Davis Moss, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice, in response to President Trump signing the anti-immigrant Laken Riley Act into law.
“In the wake of tragedy, we are seeing a fundamental erosion of our civil rights. In this bill, if someone wants to point a finger and accuse someone of shoplifting, they will be rounded up and put into a private detention camp and sent out for deportation without a day in court, without a moment to assert their right of ‘innocent until proven guilty.’ That is what is inside this bill: a fundamental suspension of a core American value.”
—Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) opposed the Laken Riley Act on the floor of the House. As President Trump signed the act into law, he announced he would prepare 30,000 beds at Guantanamo Bay to detain undocumented immigrants.
“The vote to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is deeply concerning, given his track record of spreading dangerous health misinformation. Women, people of color, immigrants and working families can’t afford leadership that prioritizes conspiracy over science—especially when our lives are on the line. This is part of a broader strategy to stack the Trump-Vance administration with extremists who will implement their antiabortion agenda and further jeopardize public health.”
—Nourbese Flint, president of All* Above All. After the Senate Finance Committee voted on party lines to advance RFK Jr.’s confirmation, floor votes to confirm him are expected this week.
“While abortion care has been banned or is under attack in many parts of the U.S., we refuse to back down. Our long history of standing up to bullies in positions of power has prepared us for this moment. We are expanding care because patients deserve options, dignity and respect—no matter the obstacles. We won’t pre-comply with anticipated or feared restrictions. We’ve faced decades of challenges and we have the wisdom and stamina that comes from it. Our resolve is stronger than ever.”
—Whole Women’s Health founder and CEO Amy Hagstrom Miller. Their 24/7 virtual abortion services have now expanded to eight states: California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York and Virginia.
“I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists. Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”
—Chappell Roan’s powerful speech at the Grammy Awards.
“Trump apparently lacks the intellectual wherewithal to understand the connection between environmental security and the health, safety and economic security of our people, our nation and our world. And what I find so pathetic when it come to this order about straws—it is not only driven by ignorance and/or disregard of the impact of plastics manufacturing and pollution for people and nature, but it is driven by a juvenile pettiness to unravel every good social and environmental decision advanced by those he views as political rivals.”
—Environmentalist Maya van Rossum in response to Trump’s executive order encouraging the use of plastic drinking straws.
“The power to make decisions about our health, our bodies and our futures must be OURS and ours alone—without the interference of politicians, or unelected billionaires.”
—Democratic Women’s Caucus whip Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.).
Milestones
+ A federal judge temporarily paused an attempt to place 2,200 USAID workers on leave. But this week, an emergency motion alleged that the administration has failed to fully comply with the court order, and are still working to irreparably dismantle the agency.
Meanwhile, critical global health and development programs around the world remain shuttered, with promised waivers and restarted funding not materializing. Millions of people have now lost access to contraceptives, prenatal care, childbirth facilities, healthcare providers, nutrition programs, treatment for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, clean water and much more.
+ The domestic federal funding freeze is also having severe impacts, even after a judge temporarily blocked the order. Community health centers across the country, including half of Virginia’s 200 clinics, are unable to access their federal grants. Rural areas and low-income communities will be disproportionately affected.
Clean energy programs have also been gutted, which will have a disproportionate effect on Republican-voting communities. Eighty percent of the clean energy investments spurred by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act—which Trump wants to roll back—are in Republican congressional districts, and they’ve created hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
+ The Trump administration offered a “deferred resignation” to federal workers, asking them to volunteer for administrative leave. But experts warn that a “buyout” payment is not guaranteed. This echoes Musk’s attempt to cut Twitter employees in 2022, after which he tried to rehire many employees he didn’t realize performed essential functions.
+ Trump ordered schools to stop teaching “critical race theory” and “gender ideology.” A now-banned example cited by the White House is requiring teachers to use students’ preferred names and pronouns.
+ The State Department and Social Security Administration’s websites have erased references to transgender and intersex people. Pages that previously referenced “LGBTQI” or “LGBTQI+” people now read “LGBQ” or just “LGB.” Trans-specific safety guidance for travelers has also been removed.
+ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sent a message to House Democrats detailing their continued plans to fight back against “the far-right extremism that is being relentlessly unleashed on the American people.” He emphasized the importance of protecting Medicaid, highlighting Republican policies like tariffs that raise the cost of living, pushing back against the Administration’s funding freezes, preventing further unlawful access to confidential government payment systems and Social Security and Medicare information and more.
+ A tragic midair collision of a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines plane killed 67 people just outside of Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Trump immediately politicized the tragedy, baselessly blaming DEI policies, Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden for the crash. Trump eliminated the Aviation Security Advisory Committee and fired the heads of the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard just days before the collision.
+ Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) introduced a fetal personhood bill in Congress that would lead to complete abortion bans, IVF restrictions and put pregnant people at constant risk of criminalization.
+ In Rep. Burlison’s state, 70 people spoke in front of the Missouri House to defend their newly established constitutional right to reproductive freedom, which is already under attack. Nearly 2,000 more made their voices heard online.
+ Two Indiana OB-GYNs sued to stop the Indiana Department of Health from releasing health and demographic information about their abortion patients. Since only 113 people were able to access legal abortion care in Indiana during the first three quarters of 2024, making terminated pregnancy reports (TPRs) public could identify individual patients.
+ Trump’s executive orders are full of attacks on the civil rights of workers. He rescinded a civil rights era prohibition on federal contractors discriminating, ended efforts to ensure minority communities have equal opportunities in federal work, unlawfully fired two Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) commissioners, and is trying to weaponize the Civil Rights Act against LGBTQ employees.
+ Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is open to limiting access to mifepristone, and refused to answer if the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requires medical staff to provide abortion care when necessary to save lives.
+ Pam Bondi and Russell Vought were confirmed as the attorney general and director of the Office of Management and Budget, respectively. Bondi was Trump’s lawyer during his first impeachment trial, and a vocal supporter of overturning the 2020 election. Vought is a self-described Christian nationalist and a main architect of Project 2025.
+ At the Grammy Awards:
- Beyoncé became the first Black woman to win Best Country Album, and claimed her first Album of the Year award.
- Sabrina Carpenter won Best Pop Vocal Album, while Chappell Roan took home the award for Best New Artist, and Doechii became the third woman to win Best Rap Album.
- In moving speeches, Shakira emphasized her solidarity with “immigrant brothers and sisters,” Alicia Keys explained that “DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift,” and Lady Gaga affirmed that trans people deserve love and will not be erased.
+ After a three-year investigation into widespread abuse and misconduct claims, the National Women’s Soccer League agreed to a $5 million settlement with players that were abused by coaches and team officials. They will also have to submit bi-annual reports for the next three years, detailing how they’re complying with new safety protocols and handling misconduct claims.
+ Autumn Lockwood became the first Black woman coach to win the Super Bowl. Lockwood is an assistant sports performance coach for the Eagles, and was the first Black woman to coach in a Super Bowl in 2023.
+ After the Super Bowl, Trump attacked Taylor Swift once again, posting videos of the crowd cheering for him and booing Swift, who previously spoke out against Trump and endorsed Kamala Harris. “The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. … MAGA is very unforgiving!” wrote Trump on Truth Social.
+ Former director Kelly Stonelake is suing Meta for a toxic workplace environment with a pattern of silencing women. She alleges that Meta didn’t act on sexual harassment reports, retaliated against Stonelake for raising concerns about products and passed over her for promotions in favor of male colleagues.
+ Conservative legal groups are working to overturn Hill v. Colorado, which requires antiabortion protestors to stay a safe distance away from abortion clinics. That buffer zone helps protect patients and staff from violence and harassment, which have already skyrocketed since Roe was overturned.
Simultaneously, Trump’s DOJ announced it plans to stop enforcing the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE Act, except in “extraordinary circumstances” or where there are “significant aggravating factors.”
+ Multiple children’s hospitals will preemptively comply with Trump’s executive order against trans healthcare, despite its unclear legality and enforcement. Denver Health has announced they won’t provide gender-affirming surgeries for people under 19, and University of Colorado Health, New York University Langone, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia and D.C. Children’s National Hospital have even paused access to hormone replacement therapy. Many of these hospitals are in states that have designated themselves as “sanctuaries” for gender-affirming care.
+ Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed Karina’s Law, which allows law enforcement to quickly confiscate guns from people with restraining orders against them. “This bill is about protecting survivors. And most importantly, it is about valuing women’s lives more than we value guns. Everyone who dreams of a future without gender-based violence knows that we cannot erase tragedies in the past, but we can and we must work to build a better future in memory of victims, survivors, and all who love them,” said chief sponsor Rep. Maura Hirschauer.
+ Schools and universities must return to the Trump administration’s 2020 Title IX rules on handling sexual misconduct, which require live hearings where victims can be cross-examined, as well as narrow the definition of sexual harassment and limit the liability for colleges that don’t address allegations.
+ The New Jersey Superior Court blocked school district policies that mandated outing transgender students to their parents. They ruled that the policies would harm students and subject them to discrimination based on gender identity and expression.
+ A New York doctor was indicted for allegedly prescribing abortion pills to a teenager in Louisiana. Dr. Margaret Carpenter was indicted on felony charges, and could face up to 15 years in prison. But New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James have stood up for Dr. Carpenter, refusing to turn her over to Louisiana.
How We’re Doing
+ Dr. Carpenter’s indictment is the first attack of its kind on shield laws that protect abortion care providers since Roe was overturned. Eight states have shield laws that protect telehealth providers. Twenty percent of all U.S. abortions in early 2024 were via telehealth, compared to just 4 percent in April 2022.
+ Childcare costs have risen, thanks to a decline in federal aid and a shortage of workers. Even costs for childcare based in homes, previously a cheaper option, soared almost 50 percent last year. Now, some parents, particularly moms, are forced to drop out of the workforce to care for their kids.
+ The difficulty of finding affordable childcare also has a serious effect on parents’ mental and physical health. The increased stress has made 90 percent of parents lose sleep, 70 percent experience health issues, and almost a third consider suicide or self-harm.
+ According to a late-January survey, just 39 percent of Americans are in favor of Elon Musk playing a prominent role in the Trump administration, and only 43 percent approve of “how President Trump is handling the staffing of his administration.”
+ After Trump’s executive order ending DEI initiatives in the government, companies including Amazon, Meta, Google, Walmart, Target, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Lowe’s, John Deere and more have ended their own DEI initiatives and begun to abandon hiring diversity and other inclusive policies. Costco, e.l.f., Apple, Marriott, Microsoft, Delta and others have said they will continue their commitment to DEI.
+ Nearly 85 percent of registered voters think Congress should do something to make childcare more affordable–including 78 percent of Republicans and 91 percent of Democrats. An ad campaign in cities with high child care costs—Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, New York and San Diego—urges lawmakers to keep and expand the child and dependent care tax credit and the child tax credit.
