URGE SENATORS TO OPPOSE WADE HORN

You are encouraged to call your Senators as soon as possible to urge them to vote against a Bush administration nominee who advocates policies that would hurt poor women, such as suggesting that single women give up their children to be adopted by two parent, married couples and that public assistance should be provided primarily to married, two parent poor families. The nominee is Wade Horn, an activist for so-called fathers' rights, and a consistent critic of feminism. If approved by the Senate, Horn would oversee many programs of importance to women and children.

The confirmation hearing is set for Thursday, June 21st, at 11:30 a.m. in the Senate Finance Committee, to be later followed by a vote by the full Senate (although we are not sure when that floor vote might be scheduled). So please try to make those calls as soon as you can and thanks for your help.

BACKGROUND ON THE NOMINEE

Earlier this year, George W. Bush named Wade Horn, an outspoken proponent of so-called "father's rights" and unabashed promoter of marriage as a solution to poverty, to be Assistant Secretary for Family Support at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In that position, Horn would oversee a broad array of critically important programs such as welfare (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families/TANF) reform implementation, domestic violence, early childhood development/day care, foster care, adoption, child support enforcement and many others. NOW opposes the Horn nomination and has been speaking out against the nominee in news interviews and in a letter to Congress.

Horn's positions on welfare, teen pregnancy, single parents, domestic violence, divorce, and other family law issues are well known through his writings. Many of these positions are extreme and would be opposed by a majority of the public, if they knew about them. A few of his many odious ideas include:

*Poor single mothers and their children should be denied public assistance (like Head Start, public housing, job training and financial aid for education) until and unless all two-parent, married poor couples have been provided assistance. Also, unmarried couples, straight or gay, would never be eligible for public assistance;

*Horn also wants the government to pressure unmarried mothers to give up their children for adoption by married, two parent families; and,

*The federal government should fund the promotion of marriage of poor women to the fathers of their children.

Horn's highly placed presence in this administration will influence a wide range of important family policy questions, including re-authorization of the welfare reform (TANF) program next year. We believe that he is clearly an undesirable candidate for this critically important position.

PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND URGE THAT THEY VOTE AGAINST WADE HORN AS ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR FAMILY SUPPORT AT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.

The main number for the Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121; just ask for your senator's office. Or, you can go to thomas.loc.gov, the website for Congress to get the Washington, D.C. and home state phone numbers as well as the Senator's email addresses.
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now@now.org

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