Gov. Gregoire joins President Obama in backyard discussion

For Immediate Release: October 21, 2010

SEATTLE � Gov. Chris Gregoire welcomed President Obama to Seattle, and joined him for a discussion on the impact the down economy has had on women in the workforce.

�I appreciate President Obama�s commitment to ensuring that his policies to spur our economy positively impact all Americans,� Gregoire said. �Society is changing. More and more women are graduating from college, leading large corporations and serving as breadwinner for their families. Women are playing a critical role in our state�s and nation�s economic recovery, and it�s important that policy changes support women at all stages of their career.�

Obama met with neighbors in Seattle�s University district this morning to discuss women�s role in the economy. Obama�s discussion coincided with the National Economic Council�s release of its latest report, �Jobs and Economic Security for America�s Women,� which looks at how the recession has affected women. The report lays out the economic landscape facing women today and details some of the many ways the Obama Administration is committed to making sure the government is working for all Americans and especially American women.

�The first bill the President signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which ensures equal pay for women.� Gregoire said. �It�s a bill I proudly supported, and one that demonstrates our President�s pledge to ensuring fairness in the workplace. While important steps have been made, we know that more can always be done. I�m pleased Washington state could host such an important conversation with our President, and look forward to working with our federal partners to develop additional policies that ensure success for all of our workers.�

�Working our way out of what has been the worst recession since the Great Depression has not been easy on Washingtonians, and we know the coming months will be difficult as well,� Gregoire continued. �But with the sound federal policies highlighted in the report that are working together with state programs, we have some powerful tools that serve as a strong foundation for building the brighter future we know is coming.�

To read a copy of the �Jobs and Economic Security for America�s Women� report, visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/Jobs-and-Ecomomic-Security-for-Americas-Women.pdf