As Co-Chair of ERA Caucus, Pressley Has Sought to Use Every Tool to Enshrine ERA as 28^th Amendment

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Co-Founder and Chair of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Caucus, issued a statement applauding President Biden for declaring that the Equal Rights Amendment is the law of the land. Last month, Rep. Pressley and former Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), who was also Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the ERA Caucus, led over 120 colleagues on a letter urging the President to publish the ERA.

“Today, President Biden has answered our calls and affirmed what generations of advocates, organizers, and lawmakers have long fought for—the Equal Rights Amendment is the law of the land. This is a historic victory for our broad and diverse movement that has worked relentlessly for over a century to enshrine gender equality into our Constitution.

“By declaring the ERA as law, President Biden is taking an important step toward protecting the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ people, defending reproductive freedom, closing the gender pay gap, and addressing gender-based violence. I thank President Biden for listening to our movement and standing on the right side of history.

“I am deeply grateful to my colleagues and movement partners who made this moment possible.

“I urge the Archivist of the United States to follow President Biden’s lead and swiftly publish the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, and I will continue fighting to ensure the ERA delivers on its full promise for everyone who calls America home.”

Rep. Pressley, along with Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), led H.J.Res.25 in the 118^th Congress, a joint resolution to affirm the ratification of the ERA and take a critical step toward enshrining gender equality in the United States Constitution.

• In December 2024, Rep. Pressley Rep. Pressley and former Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) led over 120 colleagues on a letter urging the President to Publish the ERA.
• In January 2024, Rep. Pressley and her colleagues issued a statement on the one-year anniversary of the Equal Rights Amendment’s introduction.
• In December 2023, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment in the Senate, Rep. Pressley (MA-07) and Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01) hosted a Centennial Reception Exhibit at the Library of Congress. 
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Cori Bush commemorated July 21, 2023 as the 100th anniversary of when the Equal Rights Amendment was first unveiled.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley led her colleagues in filing a “discharge petition” that could compel the House to hold a vote on H.J. Res. 25, her joint resolution to affirm the ratification of the ERA and enshrine it as the 28^th Amendment.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley joined Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in unveiling a resolution recognizing the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28^th Amendment to the Constitution.
• In June 2023, during Pride Month, a coalition of LGBTQ+ grassroots organizations expressed support for H.J.Res. 25, a bicameral joint resolution to affirm the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and enshrine gender equality in the U.S. Constitution.
• In April 2023, Rep. Pressley and the Congressional Caucus on the Equal Rights Amendment rallied behind the Senate’s efforts to bring the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to a vote. Later that day, Rep. Pressley responded to the failed passage on the House Floor.
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01) led their colleagues in launching the first-ever Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment.
• In March 2023 ahead of the ERA Caucus launch, Rep. Pressley delivered a powerful House floor speech commemorating the legacy and contributions of Black women at the forefront of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
• In March 2023, on the House floor, Rep. Pressley honored the late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and her contributions as a legislator, including her advocacy to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
• In February 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Chairwoman Lois Frankel (FL-21) and the Democratic Women’s Caucus, issued a statement applauding the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
• In January 2023, Rep. Pressley and Sen. Cardin led their colleagues in introducing a bicameral, joint resolution to remove the arbitrary deadline for ratification of the ERA and recognize the amendment as a valid part of the Constitution.

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