Mom’s Matter: Happy Mothers Day!

May 13, 2013

By Rep. Eric Swalwell

Mother's Day is a time to celebrate and recognize the women in our lives whose selfless devotion helped us grow and thrive. It is a time to honor the mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, and motherly figures that sacrifice so much for the betterment of their children and families every day.

Congress passed the first national Mother's Day resolution in 1914, memorializing Mother's Day in the United States. This holiday recognizes the powerful contributions that women and mothers continue to make in America and across the world.

We should not only be honoring mothers with a holiday, we should be honoring you every day with fair public policies. Nationally, the average woman continues to be paid 77 cents for every $1.00 that a man receives for the same work; this is unacceptable. That is why I cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would improve protections for pay equity for women.

In addition, I am proud to have voted yes this past March to reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act to cut down on rape and sexual assault and provide support to victims. I also continue to believe that when we invest in education, we invest in our country's future and make it brighter. For that reason, I recently voted against an extreme budget that would severely cut funding to important early education programs like Head Start, relied on by so many families in the East Bay.

Mothers help nurture our children and inspire the next generation of Americans. They instill in us the sense of community and kindness, which makes our country great. I am always grateful for my mother, who worked hard every day to raise four young boys in Dublin and continues to be a pillar of support to me and my brothers. It was my mother's warm love that helped brighten our most trying days. I look forward to spending time with her this Mother's Day.

On this Mother's Day, I hope you are able pause and take time to honor all of the special mothers in your life.