President Biden is highlighting women’s issues, including sexual harassment, as the Democratic Party grapples with misconduct allegations made against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Biden will sign an executive order on Monday, creating a Gender Policy Council, which will spearhead his administration’s gender-based domestic and foreign policy work. He will also sign an executive order that will “ensure education free from sexual violence,” according to the White House.
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The policy council will be led by Julissa Reynoso, first lady Jill Biden’s chief of staff, and Jennifer Klein. Their work will include drafting a strategy to mitigate bias and discrimination, enhance economic security and opportunity, and guarantee access to healthcare, a senior administration official told reporters Sunday. That whole-of-government strategy will be reviewed annually.
“The White House Gender Policy Council will be an essential part of the Biden-Harris administration’s plan to ensure we build a more equal and just society, aggressively protecting the rights and unique needs of those who experience multiple forms of discrimination,” the official said.
The coronavirus pandemic has “exacerbated barriers that have historically impacted women and girls, especially women and girls of color,” amid the public health, economic, and caregiving crises, the White House official added.
The second executive order directs the Department of Education to evaluate how it handles sexual violence. The order specifically calls for the examination of the so-called Title IX regulation rolled out under former President Donald Trump to shore up the rights of people accused of misconduct.
The executive action falls on International Women’s Day and similarly coincides with mounting pressure on Cuomo to resign after four women complained he acted inappropriately toward them. Former aide Lindsey Boylan, for instance, said Cuomo forcibly kissed her. Cuomo has denied her claims and those of the other women.
“At work, sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business,” he has said.
Cuomo, who was lauded for his leadership of New York’s pandemic response, also faces allegations that his administration hid the true number of people who died from COVID-19 in the state’s nursing homes, fearing Trump would target the governor.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki has repeated that the Biden administration supports an “independent review” of the allegations against Cuomo.
