WASHINGTON, D.C. — The EDW Foundation today announced an issues platform focused on the challenges women confront every day: the rising cost of health care, housing, and child care; the lack of paid leave; and threats to the freedom to make personal health decisions. The platform will guide the Foundation’s work to elevate women’s voices, and support practical federal policies that make it easier for women to build secure and independent lives.
Women often bear a disproportionate share of the impact when a prescription is denied, a rent increase strains the monthly budget, child care costs make returning to work impossible, or reproductive health care is placed out of reach. The EDW Foundation’s platform connects those lived experiences to the decisions being made in Congress and gives women the information and tools they need to make their voices heard.
The Foundation’s priorities and supported legislation include:
Affordable, accountable health care.
Lowering premiums and out-of-pocket costs, protecting access to affordable coverage, and preventing insurance-company red tape from delaying or denying medically necessary care.
- H.R. 247, the Health Care Affordability Act of 2025: making the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits permanent so more women and families can afford coverage through the health insurance marketplace.
- H.R. 3514, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025: reducing unnecessary prior-authorization delays, modernizing the approval process, and bringing greater transparency to Medicare Advantage decisions.
Economic security and a fair shot at homeownership.
Lowering the costs that strain women’s budgets, expanding opportunities to purchase a first home, and helping women build long-term financial security.
- H.R. 4717, the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Act of 2025: creating a refundable tax credit of up to $15,000 to help eligible first-time homebuyers purchase a home.
Child care and paid leave.
Making it possible for women to care for a new child or an aging loved one without being forced to give up a paycheck, a job, or a path to advancement.
- H.R. 4418, the Child Care for Working Families Act: lowering child care costs, expanding the supply of quality care, and helping more women remain in or return to the workforce.
- H.R. 5390, the FAMILY Act: creating a national paid family and medical leave program so women do not have to choose between a paycheck and caring for themselves, a new child, or a loved one.
Reproductive freedom.
Protecting the right of women to make their own health care decisions.
- H.R. 12, the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025: protecting the right to decide whether to continue or end a pregnancy and safeguarding health care providers’ ability to provide abortion care.
A stronger health care workforce and safety net.
Protecting rural hospitals and expanding the health care workforce so women can access care in their own communities.
- H.R. 3890, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025: expanding Medicare-supported medical residency positions to train more physicians and help address doctor shortages, including in rural and underserved communities.
Making government work for all.
Advancing policies that help women keep more of what they earn, prevent conflicts of interest, and hold powerful institutions and public officials accountable.
- H.R. 396, the TRUST in Congress Act: requiring Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children to place certain investments in qualified blind trusts to reduce conflicts of interest and restore public trust.
“Women do not experience these issues in separate boxes. The cost of health care affects whether they can pay rent. The lack of child care affects whether they can work. The ability to make their own health decisions affects every part of their future,” said former Rep. Annie Kuster, EDW Foundation Board Member. “The EDW Foundation will make sure women have the facts, a seat at the table, and a stronger voice in the policies that shape their lives.”
“Too often, policies are debated in Washington without enough attention to how they affect a woman trying to afford a home, get the health care she needs, care for her family, or build financial security,” said former Rep. Cheri Bustos, EDW Foundation Board Member. “This platform is about turning women’s everyday experiences into practical policy priorities and making sure their voices help shape the solutions.”
Through public education, issue advocacy, roundtables, and panel discussions, the EDW Foundation will connect women with lawmakers and policy experts and elevate solutions shaped by women’s real-world experiences.
Learn more about the EDW Foundation’s issues platform and how to get involved at EDWFoundation.org.
About the EDW Foundation
The EDW Foundation is a 501(c)(4) non-profit formed to strengthen the impact of women in federal policymaking by equipping them with the knowledge, resources, and support needed to shape effective national solutions. We empower women advocates to engage productively with their lawmakers, and we equip women legislators with the tools and insight to craft policies that address the real challenges families face. Our mission is to ensure women’s lived experiences inform decisions. We believe when women’s real-world experience guides policy, the solutions are more effective, more equitable, and better aligned with the needs of all American families.
