BookmarkBookmarkTickBookmarkAddCheckBoxFilledCheckBoxCircleBumpCheckedFilledMedical

Congress’ New Dads Caucus Advocates for Working Parents

The group is “rooted in a simple idea: Dads need to do our part advancing policies that will make a difference in the lives of so many working families across the country,” representative Jimmy Gomez said.
save article
profile picture of Wyndi Kappes
By Wyndi Kappes, Assistant Editor
Published January 27, 2023
Reps. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., Andy Kim, D-N.J., left, and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., conduct a news conference to announce the Congressional Dads Caucus outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, January 26, 2023
Image: Tom Williams | Getty Images

California representative Jimmy Gomez gained attention earlier this January after bringing his baby boy Hodges to work. Amid voting for a new speaker of the House of Representatives and working on legislation, Gomez fed, changed and cared for his adorable five-month-old. With these small acts, Gomez brought to light the juggle and occasional struggle working parents deal with daily.

But showing up as a representative of working parents wasn’t enough for the Democratic lawmaker. Gomez wanted to take things a step further to help make parents’ lives easier. So he, along with fellow congressmen and fathers Andy Kim of New Jersey and Dan Goldman of New York, announced the formation of the Dads Caucus.

According to Gomez, the Dads Caucus is “rooted in a simple idea: Dads need to do our part advancing policies that will make a difference in the lives of so many working families across the country,” representative Jimmy Gomez told NBC News.

Gomez is hoping the Dads Caucus can help long-standing groups like the Moms in The House Caucus and MomsRising push through game-changing legislation. “With this group here today, and with more members to come in in the future, we’re determined to achieve real solutions by fighting for our national paid family and medical leave program, affordable, high-quality child care, and the expanded Child Tax Credit, which cut child poverty in this country by 40 to 60 percent during the nine months that it was in existence,” Gomez said according to The Hill.

The members of the Dads Caucus acknowledge that the new caucus is far from a fix to the many problems facing working families but hopes that this is another step in the right direction.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Gomez admitted of the caucus formation, “because some people will believe that we’re getting unfair attention, and other people are going to believe that we’re truly not doing enough — and we’re probably not doing enough! But I think this is going to help start those conversations.”

save article
Article removed.
Name added. View Your List
ADVERTISEMENT

Next on Your Reading List

Kristin Davis at the New York Pemiere of "And Just Like That..." A New Chapter of Sex and The City held at MoMA on December 8, 2021 in New York City
Why Moms Are Loving Charlotte's ‘and Just Like That’ Monologue
By Wyndi Kappes
78 Percent of Moms Are Overwhelmed by Pumping at Work
78 Percent of Moms Are Overwhelmed by Pumping at Work
By Wyndi Kappes
mother holding sleeping baby at home
Caregiving Reduces Mom's Lifetime Earnings by 15 Percent, Report Says
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
mother working on laptop while holding baby
These Are the Best States for Working Moms in 2023
By Wyndi Kappes
working mother sitting at home with baby and breast pump
What the PUMP Act Means for Working Parents
By Wyndi Kappes
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hugs his daughter Poppy on the ninth hole during the Par 3 Contest prior to the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 5, 2023, in Augusta, Georgia
Kids Take the Masters by Storm Dressed as Adorable Caddies
By Wyndi Kappes
mother wearing baby in wrap while working on laptop at home
Study: Parents Work Longer Hours Than Non-Parents Amid Recession Fears
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
P!nk attends the 2022 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California
Balancing Acts: Pink Shares Her Journey as a Rockstar Mom
By Wyndi Kappes
Sanya Richards Ross and family
Olympian Sanya Richards-Ross on Motherhood and Finding Balance
By Nehal Aggarwal
Shonda Rhimes attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 09, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California.
Shonda Rhimes Shares the Secret Behind How She Does It All
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
MommiNation founders talking at fundraiser event
How MommiNation Is Helping to Empower a Community of Black Moms
By Jen Hayes Lee
Rihanna is seen outside the Dior show, during Paris Fashion Week - Womenswear F/W 2022-2023, on March 01, 2022 in Paris, France
Rihanna Says Being a Mom Pushed Her to Perform at the Super Bowl
By Wyndi Kappes
mother working from home with baby on lap
New Report Explores if Remote Work Is Really Working for Parents
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
wood desk at the texas state capitol
Moms Are Largely Missing From the Law-Making Arena, New Report Reveals
By Wyndi Kappes
pregnant woman working from home at desk in bedroom
Remote Work May Have Led to a Mini Baby Boom, Study Says
By Wyndi Kappes
gabrielle union and dwyane wade smiling with their daughter
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade Champion Community at Home and Work
By Ashlee Neuman
Amanda Kloots and her son, Elvis
Amanda Kloots Talks About Life as a Single Mom and Multi-Hyphenate
By Lauren Kay
ADVERTISEMENT
Meghan Markle and Serena Williams
Meghan Markle & Serena Williams Talk Ambition and Motherhood on New Podcast
By Wyndi Kappes
Alyson Felix and Daughter running on the track together
Allyson Felix’s Last Race With Her Daughter Bookends a Legacy of Change
By Wyndi Kappes
Serena Williams, daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. and husband Alexis Ohanian attend the 2021 AFI Fest - Premiere of Warner Bros. "King Richard" at TCL Chinese Theatre on November 14, 2021 in Hollywood, California.
Serena Williams Is "Evolving Away From Tennis” to Grow Her Family
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
Article removed.