Centering Epstein Survivors: Why the 28th Amendment Matters
November 19, 2025
The Financial Prioritization of Gender
December 03, 2025
At least $3 billion in grants for women’s health and economic security have been cut under the pretense of reducing waste, fraud, and abuse. By cutting programs focused on women’s health, safety, and workforce participation, we are rolling decades of progress and reinforcing the same inequities many of these programs were designed to fix.
The trend is also global. A UN Women research study has estimated that USD 78 billion in international aid cuts are forcing women's rights organizations to reduce or close life-saving services.
Women’s rights organizations have long pushed for funding to combat violence against women and girls by providing shelters, psychosocial support, legal aid, and prevention programs both nationally and internationally.
Prevention programs for women in abusive homes or trafficked include economic empowerment programs, which allow women to generate their own incomes and resources. These programs have been significantly cut, and 35% of these organizations say their work is affected. The programs often are lifesaving resources that are financially, psychologically, and legally beneficial to survivors.
These cuts hit women of color and women in rural areas the hardest. Long-term research has been halted, and vital progress lost. The cost of these cuts extends far beyond balance sheets—it’s measured in lives disrupted, futures diminished, and generations of women denied equal opportunity.
When women’s programs are defunded, communities lose access to essential healthcare, survivors lose critical support systems, and pathways to economic independence disappear. The rollback of these investments sends a clear message: women’s equality remains optional, not guaranteed. The priorities and values of a nation are reflected directly in its budget. Both nationally and internationally, the money and time we spend on education, training, and violence prevention align with our values of uplifting and protecting those most in need. We must ensure that gender-based protections remain a priority.
The full recognition of the 28th Amendment—the Equal Rights Amendment—is more urgent than ever. Constitutional equality is not just symbolic; it is the foundation for protecting policies and programs that ensure women’s health, safety, and economic security are never treated as expendable. By enshrining gender equality in our Constitution, we can help create a future where women’s rights and resources are not subject to political whim but protected as a matter of law and justice.
