In the 43 days since the second Trump Administration began, there has been a nonstop, chaotic whirlwind of daily breaking news. When President Trump addresses a joint session of Congress today for the first time in his second term, he is likely to falsely claim that the first six weeks of his presidency are bringing renewed prosperity to America. But amidst a barrage of harmful Executive Orders, confirmation hearings for dangerous and unqualified political nominees, unprecedented firing of federal employees along with restructuring or near elimination of federal agencies, Court decisions and more, the Administration is abusing its power to turn back the clock on rights and protections for hundreds of millions of people. Below we highlight the ways this Administration has been particularly harmful for women and their families.
Threats to Women in the Workplace
1. Firing National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Board Member Gwynne Wilcox and General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo.
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency that protects employees from unfair labor practices, supports their ability to organize a union, and enforces the National Labor Relations Act. Research by the National Partnership finds that Black and Asian women and part-time workers had the largest gains in union membership growth in 2024 and women workers who are represented by a union see a multitude of benefits, including higher wages and more access to vital benefits such as paid leave, pensions, and health coverage. Despite the benefits of the NLRB’s work, President Trump illegally fired Board member Gwynne Wilcox just one week after his inauguration. She is both the first Black woman to ever sit on the NLRB Board and the first to be terminated from the position. Without Wilcox and a permanent general counsel, the NLRB Board is short of the required three-person quorum and cannot make major decisions.
2. Firing Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Commissioners Jocelyn Samuels and Charlotte Burrows, as well as General Counsel Karla Gilbride.
The EEOC is an independent federal agency with a bipartisan slate of five commissioners; the agency is at the frontlines of civil rights enforcement, investigating and remedying employment discrimination charges. In FY 2023 alone, the Commission received more than 81,000 complaints of alleged discrimination, including discrimination by sex, race, religion, and age. The EEOC plays a vital role in ensuring that all workers – and women workers in particular – are treated fairly; from 2014-2024, the EEOC recovered $5.6 billion for workers who were discriminated against. Now short of commissioners and a permanent general counsel, the EEOC is without a quorum and cannot make significant policy changes.
3. Undoing long-standing protections for federal contract workers from workplace discrimination by rescinding Executive Order 11246.
For sixty years – during Democratic and Republican presidential administrations alike – EO 11246 has been in place to ensure that federal contractors do not discriminate against their employees on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, and more. The order has been an important tool against rooting out historic gender discrimination, unearthing difficult to find pay disparities, and helping to increase the number of women in upper level, higher paying jobs in leadership when they’d been previously shut out due to their gender. Now that the Trump Administration has rescinded the Executive Order in its entirety, all workers – though women and women of color in particular are especially likely to face discrimination – are left without recourse in the face of discrimination from employers receiving taxpayer dollars.
4. Planning to cut 90 percent of staff at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)
The OFCCP is tasked with enforcement of anti-discrimination laws for federal contractors, including EO 11246. The Office oversees contracts with more than 25,000 firms – which employ 22 percent of the American workforce – and has recovered billions for workers and job seekers who suffered from discrimination. The National Partnership finds that between 2014 and 2024, the OFCCP obtained over $260 million for employees and job seekers who were discriminated against and provided financial relief to almost 260,000 employees and job seekers. Despite its obvious role in protecting at least 36 million workers, the Trump Administration is attempting to gut the office’s enforcement power. A Department of Labor memo shows that leaders as directed by DOGE, President Trump, and Elon Musk are planning to cut OFFCP by 90 percent, closing 51 of 55 offices and leaving only 50 employees to conduct the office’s vital work.
5. Undercutting civil rights enforcement across federal agencies.
The Trump Administration is undermining civil rights enforcement across every federal agency, including the Department of Labor, Department of Education, and the Social Security Administration. Eliminating the offices tasked with investigating claims of discrimination puts everyone at risk. For example, the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights investigates thousands of claims of racial harassment, sexual harassment and sexual violence, and discrimination against students with disabilities each year. Undercutting agencies’ oversight and enforcement abilities is dangerous for the millions who rely on the government to enforce the laws passed to protect them.
6. Intimidating private sector companies to do-away with efforts to implement equitable hiring practices and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.
On day one of the Administration, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at dismantling “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” programs. President Trump and his conservative allies often use “DEI” as an all-encompassing phrase synonymous with perceived discrimination against white men, but that ignores the long history of racism and sexism that these programs and civil rights laws are designed to remedy. The Executive Order targets equity measures in the federal government and threatens advances in the private sector in equitable hiring, equal pay, and anti-discrimination for women. In the weeks since the Order, many companies have used the “evolving legal landscape” to cut or change their diversity, equity and inclusion goals, including Goldman Sachs, Accenture, Pepsi, and Citigroup.
7. Threatening the implementation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).
The PWFA is commonsense legislation that requires employers to offer reasonable accommodations to workers who have needs related to pregnancy, childbirth, and other related medical conditions. It protects workers who are pregnant at some point in the year and ensures they have access to basic accommodations like bathroom breaks and leave for health care appointments. It is enforced by the EEOC, which has the authority to investigate and settle discrimination complaints including those that would be covered by the PWFA. While the previous administration defended the law and rules from attacks, pregnant workers are now threatened by the Trump Administration’s approach to the rule and the EEOC. Research by the National Partnership finds that efforts to overturn or undercut the enforcement of the PWFA put 2.8 million pregnant workers at risk each year.
8. Nominating and confirming political appointees with anti-worker agendas.
President Trump has nominated multiple people as political appointees with anti-worker agendas that would harm millions of women workers. For example, Keith Sonderling, the Trump Administration’s pick for Deputy Secretary of Labor, voted against the EEOC’s final rule on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act during his time as a commissioner. Notably, President Trump has tasked Russell Vought with running the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), an agency that plays a powerful role in dictating the experience of women and families across the country. OMB leads the creation of executive orders and legislative proposals from the Executive Branch, manages the Presidential Budget, and oversees the regulatory process happening across agencies. Vought was a major architect of Project 2025 and is now a key player in the chaotic, illegal expansion of presidential power that occurred in the first six weeks of the Trump Administration.
Threats to Women’s Health
9. Limiting enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
The FACE Act makes it a federal crime to use force, threats of force, or physical obstruction to prevent people from receiving or providing reproductive health care such as abortions. This legislation was passed in 1994 in response to violence by anti-abortion protestors against abortion providers, such as through blockades, sit-ins at clinics, and bombings. The National Abortion Federation finds that between 1977 and 2022, there were 11 murders, 42 bombings, 531 assaults, and 492 clinic invasions amongst thousands of other criminal activities directed at abortion providers, patients, and volunteers. Death threats and other threats of harm against providers have only increased in the wake of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, yet President Trump’s Department of Justice announced in its first days that it would no longer enforce the law except under severe and “extraordinary circumstances.” The Department of Justice has dismissed three civil cases of obstructions at clinics.
10. Preventing the use of federal money to fund or support abortion and revoking Biden-era Executive Orders that protected and expanded access to reproductive healthcare.
In his first week, President Trump revoked multiple Executive Orders signed by President Biden that sought to protect access to reproductive health care. Those included an EO that directed the Department of Health and Human Services to protect access to medication abortion, ensure emergency medical care, protect access to contraception and more; and another that created a whole-of-government approach to access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare, including an inter-agency task force. The Trump Administration also signed an EO re-affirming the Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal funding from being used to fund abortions – that EO goes even further than the Hyde Amendment does, opening the doors to end funding for programs that are seen to “promote” abortion in any way, including family planning services. These changes put tens of millions of women, particularly in states with restricted abortion access, at risk.
11. Nominating and confirming political appointees who will harm women’s health.
The new Administration’s cabinet secretaries and other nominees will have significant influence over policies and regulations regarding reproductive rights, including access to contraception and abortion, as well as other women’s health issues. For example, as Attorney General at the Department of Justice, Pam Bondi will be responsible for enforcing federal protections related to abortion access and civil rights. She used her role as Florida’s AG to lead the state’s efforts to restrict abortion access, including by defending mandatory waiting periods. The nominee for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Harmeet Dhillon, is another “lawyer for the pro-life movement” with serious influence on abortion policy through her role with the DOJ. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. insisted during his nomination that he would follow President Trump’s lead on the issue, including by opposing and fearmongering around abortions that occur later in pregnancy, investigating the medication used in medication abortions despite clear evidence of its safety, and allowing states to control abortion access even though it puts millions of women in states with limited abortion access in harm’s way. Dr. David Weldon, a physician and former GOP congressman, is the official nominee to lead the Center for Disease Control (CDC). He has been an anti-abortion extremist for his whole career and is notably the namesake of the Weldon Amendment, a so-called ‘conscience clause’ that has been included in every appropriations bill for the last two decades and empowers health care providers to refuse to perform or cover abortion care even if such refusals compromise patients’ health.
12. Threatening funding for crucial research on women’s health.
The Administration attempted a blanket freeze on all government grants and loans, which immediately caused chaos and paused funding for services that support women and families such as domestic violence nonprofits. Though a judge ultimately blocked the order from going into effect, President Trump’s attack on vital funding continues – important research institutions such as the National Institutes of Health have had their funding and staff cut, resulting in uncertainty of future research funding, canceled study panels, and the serious possibility of researchers and scientists closing their labs. Even small delays put millions of dollars for vital women’s health research on the line. In fact, a panel of experts commissioned by the NIH released their recommendations for women’s health research late last year: an additional $15.7 billion to support vital interdisciplinary research, including studies to cure cancer, understand conditions like endometriosis or the long-term risks of pregnancy complications, and the impacts of menopause.
13. Erasing vital health information from public websites.
In early February, thousands of government websites were suddenly changed or offline. This included webpages for agencies such as the Center for Disease Control, USAID, and the Food and Drug Administration; pages that included information vital to the public and medical professionals, such as information on vaccines and reproductive health, were pulled down in order to comply with the onslaught of Executive Orders, including those that called on federal agencies to reverse course on diversity measures and gender. Though a judge ordered the Administration to restore online access, some links are still down and the Administration’s attempts to hide and change information necessary to the public – particularly information about how to provide care and support to women and families – continues.
14. Threatening efforts to reduce Black maternal deaths and improve maternal health care.
As the National Partnership has previously outlined, President Trump’s Executive Order banning diversity, equity and inclusion practices significantly weakens the federal government’s ability to hold hospitals accountable for their treatment of Black birthing people and their role in improving Black maternal health. Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy than white women and are also disproportionately affected by unexpected outcomes in labor and delivery with consequences to their health and well-being. Despite this, the Trump Administration has threatened that important, life-saving work, including by interrupting and undermining critical annual state-level surveys that track childbearing experiences (PRAMS).
Threats to Funding, the Federal Workforce, and More
15. Setting the stage for cuts to Medicaid in Republican Budget Plan.
To pay for President Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy and powerful, House Republicans are planning to find “savings” by cutting $880 billion from federal Medicaid spending over the next decade. Medicaid is crucial for the 72 million people who rely on the program for health care. National Partnership research shows that 24 million women are enrolled in the program, over half of whom are women of color. Medicaid is the largest payer for maternal health in the country and provides access to preventative services such as cancer and chronic disease screenings, family planning, and long-term supports and services for aging women and women with disabilities. Women are the majority of seniors receiving Medicaid in every state. National Partnership research finds that the proposed cut to Medicaid is the equivalent of cutting off benefits for nearly 4.8 million Medicaid recipients age 65 and older annually, including 2.8 million older women.
16. Setting the stage for cuts to SNAP and crucial food assistance programs in Republican Budget Plan.
House Republicans are also considering a massive cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income families afford groceries; the program is the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, serving roughly 40 million people each month with demonstrated positive impact on food insecurity, health outcomes, medical costs, and performance in school for children. Women are disproportionately likely to experience food insecurity and also made up more than half of non-elderly adult SNAP recipients in 2022. SNAP lifted 3.4 million people above the poverty line in 2023 while providing only $6.20 to recipients on average each day, yet House Republicans are intent on cutting the program to pay for President Trump’s tax cuts for his wealthy allies.
17. Eliminating the Gender Policy Council.
The White House Gender Policy Council was established by the Biden Administration to promote gender equity and coordinate federal efforts to combat systemic discrimination, increase economic security, increase access to comprehensive health care, address caregiving needs, and more. The Trump Administration eliminated the Gender Policy Council in his first week on office.
18. Massive layoffs in the federal government, in part through overreach by Elon Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) impact local economies and communities, as well as federal women workers.
As the Trump Administration continues its attacks on federal workers – through mass firings, unprecedented “buyouts,” executive orders and intimidation – the impacts of losing the hard work of civil servants are becoming more clear. Federal workers perform essential jobs in communities across the country to protect consumers, workers and our health, including processing Social Security benefits, supporting survivors of domestic violence, rooting out discrimination, and maintaining our national parks. Federal workers not only support the work that millions of women rely on across the country, they are also important cornerstones to local economies. Research by the National Partnership finds that women make up 45 percent of federal workers and that Black and Native women and women veteran workers are especially likely to be federal employees.
19. Targeting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and offices in the federal government impacts women workers, workers of color, disabled workers and more.
The Trump Administration’s combined efforts to scrap Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and decimate the federal government targets women workers and workers of color. The DOGE team has been focused on plans to purge the federal government of diversity initiatives and government employees who they believe are tied to “DEI,” targeting anyone whose work might include words such as “gender,” “justice,” and “equity.” Already, the orders have eliminated programs aimed at women in wildland firefighting, domestic violence non-profits, and women in underrepresented fields such as the trades.
20. Regulating gender and gender identity and threatening gender affirming care.
One of the Trump Administration’s most egregious policies have been his constant attacks on transgender, intersex, and nonbinary individuals. On his first day in office, he signed an Executive Order claiming to “defend women.” What the order truly does is allow the federal government to control and regulate gender, encouraging discrimination by the government itself against transgender people. The order also threatens the safety of all women and girls, subjecting all individuals to suspicion and surveillance of their gender and inviting violence against those who do not conform with a narrow understanding of gender and gender roles.
