Congress should create a federal department within the Executive Office for women and families, writes Cathy Russell, former U.S. ambassador for global women's issues during the Obama administration, in an op-ed for USA Today.
Creating a cabinet-level position for women would put the U.S. on par with countries like Canada, France and the U.K., which all have similar roles. Such a position would ensure coordination across disparate offices for women that exist in agencies like HHS and the Food and Drug Administration, Ms. Russell wrote.
Additionally, the current administration has largely eliminated leadership in this arena. Ms. Russell's former position has gone unfilled; President Donald Trump disbanded the White House Council on Women and Girls created during the Obama administration.
"United States should be tackling these issues in an aggressive and comprehensive way," Ms. Russell writes. "But the unconnected offices, programs and bureaus across the federal government are being largely ignored or even undercut by this administration."
In her op-ed, she lays out a reasoning for how such a department would benefit women, families and the economy.
"Critics will no doubt object to additional government bureaucracy. But the result would be to improve, not expand, the federal government’s work in these areas," Ms. Russell writes.
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