As the head of the Democratic Women’s Caucus in Congress, New Mexico Representative Teresa Leger Fernández has already taken the lead to reform the historically predatory work environment many women feel working on Capitol Hill. Now, she is getting some bi-partisan help from her counterpart in the Republican caucus, Congresswoman Kat Cammack, a Republican of Florida.
This story was originally published at New Mexico Political Report, a nonprofit news service covering politics and policy in the Land of Enchantment. Learn more and support our work at nmreports.org
Both congresswomen appeared on MS NOW’s Morning Joe this morning for their first joint interview since announcing their bipartisan partnership between the Democratic Women’s Caucus and Republican Women’s Caucus to combat sexual misconduct in Congress. She recently led efforts causing Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell to resign following disclosures of a relationship with a staffer. Their efforts focus on working to make reporting systems faster, more accessible, and easier to navigate for survivors and pushing for stronger education and training resources to prevent misconduct before it happens.
“Too often we have seen Congressmen take advantage of that power imbalance, use the women who work here as their prey, and we are here to say that that’s not going to happen anymore,” said Leger Fernández. “We need to make sure that accountability means something… if you engage in sexual assault of the employees on Capitol Hill, you’re going to pay a price.”
Cammack emphasized that women in Congress must work together to make working in Congress safe before new staffers star. “Accountability cannot begin and end with punishment after the fact. It must include prevention, transparency, education, and systems people can actually trust,” she said.
The Congresswomen say their efforts are backed by leaders in both the Republican and Democratic members of Congress.