Women's Equality Day, 2019

Proclamation 9916 of August 23, 2019

Women's Equality Day, 2019

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On Women's Equality Day, we commemorate the 99th
anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment as
part of the United States Constitution, which secured
for women the right to vote. This historic event was
the culmination of the decades-long struggle of
courageous suffragists determined to ensure the right
of women to shape the course of our Republic through
the ballot box. On Women's Equality Day, we commemorate
the efforts of those groundbreaking activists,
celebrate the remarkable achievements of women, and
reaffirm our commitment to equality under the law for
all Americans.

My Administration is working every day to empower and
promote women, and to facilitate their success. Thanks
to our economic policies, including the enactment of
the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the elimination of
unnecessary and burdensome regulations, the
unemployment rate for women recently fell to its lowest
rate in 65 years. We also are fighting for policies
that recognize the demands and challenges faced by
working parents so that mothers can better provide for
their families and thrive in the labor force. My
Administration worked to double the child tax credit,
protect the child and dependent care credit, and
develop a tax credit for employers who offer paid
family and medical leave. We continue to call upon the
Congress to pass a nationwide paid family leave
program. Additionally, we are working to break down the
barriers faced by women in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) fields by expanding
apprenticeships and vocational education. This year, my
Administration launched the Women's Global Development
and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative, which will reach 50
million women in the developing world by 2025. The W-
GDP Initiative focuses on three pillars: improving
access to quality education and skills training;
promoting women's entrepreneurship and increasing
access to capital, markets, technical assistance, and
mentorship; and identifying and reducing the legal,
regulatory, and cultural barriers that hinder the
participation of women in the global economy.

As we celebrate Women's Equality Day, we honor the
trailblazing American women who have fought for, and
achieved, incredible gains in equality since the
ratification of the 19th Amendment. Their hard-fought
accomplishments have strengthened our economy, our
communities, and our families, and have enriched the
American spirit. Their resolve, innovation, leadership,
passion, and compassion have changed the world and
continue to inspire future generations of women.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim August 26, 2019, as
Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the
United States to celebrate the achievements of women
and observe this day with appropriate programs and
activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-third day of August, in the year of our Lord two
thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
fourth.