Women Employed Issues “Damage Report” on One-Year Anniversary of Second Trump Administration, Vows Continued Fight for Working Women and Families

On the one-year anniversary of the second Trump administration, Women Employed (WE) released a “Damage Report” detailing the administration’s “swift and unrelenting actions” that constitute “direct attacks on workers’ rights, women’s freedoms, and the fundamental structures of our democracy.”

The report spotlights the disproportionate harm to working women nationwide and the particular impact felt by marginalized Illinoisans.

“As we reflect on the first year of the Trump administration, it’s important that we pause to recognize the damage being done to specific populations, in particular women and People of Color,” said Cherita Ellens, President and CEO of Women Employed.

“We also need to recognize the harm we successfully stopped or mitigated through our collective power. Unlike the narrative being pushed, our pushback and our fight is American at its core. It’s our responsibility to continue to protect our democracy, to protect each other, to protect those who are most vulnerable—even when it’s daunting.”

Women Employed

The report highlights a year marked by the dismantling and weaponization of federal agencies, including the launch of the unprecedented Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and an overall “Anti-Woman Administration” agenda. Key findings include:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): The administration has waged a campaign against DEI, resulting in job eliminations, fewer protections against sexual harassment, and rising pay inequities. Unemployment among Black women has risen faster than any other group, reaching a staggering 7.3 percent in December.
Worker and Consumer Protections: The report details the illegal firing of key officials at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and the hollowing out of agencies like the Department of Labor (DOL), the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Social Safety Net: The passing of HR1, “The Big, Bad Bill,” in July 2025 threatens to eliminate or reduce programs that low-paid working people depend upon, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with stricter work requirements and potential loss of benefits for millions.
Education Access and Student Debt: The Department of Education (USED) has been dismantled, major functions redistributed, and its Office of Civil Rights severely cut, including the closure of seven regional offices. The administration has also implemented measures to reduce or eliminate Parent PLUS and Grad PLUS loans, making it harder for low-income students and women to access higher education.
Immigration: Federal forces deployed in Chicago and surrounding areas as part of “Operation Midway Blitz” have sown fear among working families, leading to mass arrests, detentions, and deportations of citizens and legal residents alongside undocumented immigrants.

Women Employed, along with advocates and partners, has actively fought back through lawsuits, public comment, and on-the-ground activism:

Legal Victories: WE joined an amicus brief supporting Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) in a lawsuit against the administration, which resulted in an injunction requiring the reinstatement of CWIT’s federal funding. WE also joined a lawsuit opposing the defunding of the CFPB.
Workforce Pell Expansion: Advocates, including WE, won a crucial expansion of the Pell Grant program, calledWorkforce Pell, which offers financial aid for programs as short as 150 hours and 8 weeks, providing a path to in-demand jobs for low-income adult learners.
Protecting Data Integrity: In Illinois, WE successfully advocated to decouple the state’s pay data collection and reporting from federal EEO-1 requirements to continue identifying and rectifying wage gaps.
The 75 Million Project: WE joined a national call to action to build a women’s policy agenda reflecting the needs of the 75 million working women who drive the economy.

About Women Employed

Since 1973, Women Employed (WE) has been opening doors, breaking barriers, and expanding opportunities for women. Our mission is to increase the economic status of women and remove barriers to economic equity, and we do that by shaping policy change, expanding access to educational opportunities, and advocating for fair and inclusive workplaces so that all women, families, and communities can thrive. For more information, visit https://womenemployed.org or follow Women Employed on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, or Bluesky.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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