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Vice President Harris on Thursday called the exodus of women from the workforce during the coronavirus pandemic a “national emergency” as she made the Biden administration’s latest pitch for passage of a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill.
Harris spoke at the start of a virtual event that included female members of Congress and leaders advocacy organizations.
About 2.5 million women have dropped out of the labor force during the pandemic, compared with 1.8 million men, according to data from the Labor Department released this month.
“This is a national emergency. Women leaving the workforce in these numbers is a national emergency which needs a national solution,” Harris said.
She spoke of a “perfect storm” for women who have stopped working to take care of children at home during the school day.
“The longer we wait to act, the harder it will be to bring these millions of women back into the workforce,” Harris said.