Via Roll Call:
The tampon controversy in the House has been escalated to the Speaker’s office.
Rep. Grace Meng teamed up with Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who raised the issue last week when he claimed he was asked to pay back money he used to buy tampons for his office, to write a letter to Speaker Paul D. Ryan asking for offices to be able to be reimbursed for feminine hygiene products.
“We implore you… [to] make feminine hygiene products available to those who need them,” the letter reads. “It is a simple change that can bring sanitation and relief to thousands of Congressional employees, visitors, and Members of Congress alike.”
They also asked Ryan to provide free feminine hygiene products in all bathrooms that are under the jurisdiction of the House, as opposed to members’ offices.
“Women have been treated as second class citizens for far too long. We have an opportunity to fix that problem here in the House, and the Speaker should take it,” Maloney said in a news release.