When Congress refuses to raise the minimum wage, or takes away the earned income tax credit, women and their families suffer most. Eighty-five percent of those on Medicaid are women and children.
Women are more dependent than men on student loans.
Yet we never see budget numbers divided up by their impact on women and men. Feminist thinkers and economists at Expo '96 shattered myths surrounding the federal budget. For the past several years almost every politician has railed about the need to balance the federal budget and cut the national debt. Social programs that provide needed funds to the poorest Americans have found themselves on the chopping block - Medicare, Medicaid, and welfare. Education and student loans have been targeted for cuts, and some politicians are even talking about eliminating the Department of Education.