On Thursday, September 11, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) kicked off Concerned Women for America’s (CWA) Gaining Ground 2025 Leadership Summit on a strong footing. Our CWA Field leaders, Young Women for America (YWA) leaders, staff, and supporters had the honor of hearing from several distinguished members of Congress at our Legislative Briefing, and we left encouraged—Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said it best: “Concerned Women for America is having its finest moment in history.”
In the heart of the Capitol building, CWA’s CEO and President Penny Nance opened the briefing with a moment of prayer, silence, and reflection for the loss of our friend and brother, Charlie Kirk. Penny pointed our eyes to the hope of Heaven and the sovereignty of God; though we mourn the loss of Charlie, we know that in his memory we must march on. Penny said, “I would rather take a bullet than be silent. That’s what Charlie would want us to do, to continue and never grow weary in doing good.”
And march on we did. CWALAC’s Legislative team welcomed Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), one of the most prominent social conservatives in the United States Senate and Chair of the Senate Pro-life Caucus, to open the briefing. Sen. Hyde-Smith celebrated CWALAC’s efforts to defund Big Abortion businesses, and Penny Nance thanked the Senator for her steadfast support of CWALAC throughout Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation in 2018.
Next, Penny Nance invited the Republican Conference Chairwoman, Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-Michigan 9th), to the podium. The Chairwoman brought her signature energy, celebrating her appreciation for CWALAC’s partnership and ending with a charge: “Be bold!”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), “the next Governor of the great state of Tennessee” (as Penny introduced her) followed the Chairwoman. Sen. Blackburn recalled the simple question she asked Justice Jackson Ketanji Brown Jackson on the Senate floor in 2022 that haunts democrats to this day: “What is a woman?” Sen. Blackburn expressed her shared passion for the unique dignity of women and the urgent need for sex-designated sports and spaces in our nation.
Next, Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Alabama 4th), Chair of the House Values Action Team, shared his passion for defending the unborn, upholding the dignity of every human life, uplifting families, and promoting religious liberty.
Finally, it was CWA’s great privilege to welcome our good friend and ally, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R- Louisiana 4th). Before inviting the Speaker to the podium, Penny offered gratitude to the Speaker for his tireless efforts in leading Congress to defund Big Abortion. Like William Wilberforce before him, who worked diligently as a statesman to end the transatlantic slave trade, Speaker Johnson is walking in bold obedience to God’s call to defend the unborn from the halls of Congress. As William Wilberforce once said: “Great indeed are our opportunities, great also is our responsibility.” Penny presented him with CWA’s first William Wilberforce Award.
Speaker Johnson addressed CWA’s Legislative Briefing with heartfelt appreciation for CEO and President Penny Nance’s leadership, conviction, and voice—he noted that “when Penny Nance speaks, the President listens.” And to our leaders, he offered sincere thanks for Spirit-filled, prayerful activism.
With outstretched hands, almost two hundred CWA and YWA leaders prayed for each member of Congress before they left. Amid nationwide lament, Concerned Women for America is prayerfully moving forward, lifting all members in the House of Representatives and the Senate to the Lord.
From the morning’s briefing, our Field and YWA leaders spread out across Capitol Hill to visit over one hundred congressional offices. In each office, our leaders spoke about the importance of two critical pieces of legislation: The Moms Act and The Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act.
The Moms Act, among other things, establishes Pregnancy.gov, a nationwide clearinghouse of resources for pregnant and parenting mothers. The early stages of motherhood are some of the most challenging seasons of life for many women, especially if they do not have a strong community or familial support system. If established, Pregnancy.gov would provide mothers with an easily accessible website to enter their zip code and find pregnancy resource centers, adoption services, addiction recovery programs, nutritional services, and a host of pro-life services in their area.
The Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act amends existing legislation to prohibit any organization certified under the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) from allowing men to compete in women’s sports. The bill offers watertight definitions of biological sex, male and female, and codifies President Trump’s Executive Order “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports.”
After a long day of lobbying, our leaders were encouraged and excited. Many met with their Member or Senator in person, and several got to take photos:
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Oklahoma)
Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wisconsin)
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Missouri)
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa)
By God’s grace, CWA’s Gaining Ground Lobby Day was an all-around success. Please join us in prayer for every member of Congress we spoke with as we continue to link arms with them to protect women, children, and families across the nation.
