A proclamation on Mother’s Day, 2023 – The White House

On Mother’s Day, we celebrate the mothers and the women who fulfill the role of mother in our lives, who bless us with a total sense of what it means to be family. They believe in us so that we can believe in ourselves. They sacrifice themselves to give us opportunities they never had. They are there for us at our highest points and our lowest moments, lifting us up when we need it most.

The lessons I learned from my mother, Catherine Eugenia “Jean” Finnegan Biden, continue to guide me to this day. She led with honor. She believed that everyone deserved to be treated equally. She reminded my siblings and me that failure was inevitable, but giving up was never an option. She would say that courage is the greatest virtue, because without courage you cannot love with abandon.

My wife, First Lady Jill Biden, has also loved our children and grandchildren with devotion. She was the glue that helped bring our family back together after my boys and I suffered a great loss. Every day, her joy, wisdom, and strength bring light to so many, including the students she teaches full-time.

Across the country, mothers care for children, provide for families and drive innovation in every field. They serve at the highest levels of government, command our nation’s military, and power our economy by running some of the largest companies in the world and operating beloved small businesses on Main Streets across America. At the same time, many mothers work night shifts and jobs that often don’t pay them enough to make ends meet and support their families. As mothers continue to tear down the barriers that stand in the way of all women and girls reaching their full potential, my government works to provide them with support and opportunities. Our US bailout helped keep the doors open for 220,000 childcare providers — 90 percent of which are owned and staffed by women — so families could go to work while their children were cared for. During our first year in office, we expanded child tax credits and halved child poverty. The landmark infrastructure, manufacturing, and clean energy bills I signed as part of our Investing in America agenda create well-paying jobs for women in industries where they were previously underrepresented. And to help new and expectant mothers thrive in the workplace, I’ve signed new protections for pregnant workers and nursing parents in the workplace: the Pregnant Workers’ Justice Act and the Mothers’ Urgent Protection Act for nursing mothers.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris leads the charge of making pregnancy and childbirth safer for all women and ensuring that pregnant women and mothers are treated fairly in all communities. We released a blueprint for addressing the maternal health crisis to reduce maternal death and morbidity rates; reduce disparities in maternal health; and improve women’s experiences before, during and after birth across the country. Our American Rescue Plan gave states the option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage for an entire year—instead of just 60 days—and we’ve already approved requests from more than 30 states and Washington, DC, to extend this coverage . And my administration continues to fight for a national, comprehensive paid family and sick leave program.

At family gatherings across America today, let’s give thanks to all the mothers and mother figures we love so much. Let’s make sure we make the most of our precious time together. Let us also keep in our prayers those who celebrate this day with a hole in their hearts, who miss the irreplaceable presence of a mother and the comfort it brings, as well as the mothers who know the pain of losing a child. Finally, let’s keep working to extend our nation’s promise of dignity and opportunity to America’s mothers—the least we can do for the people in our lives who have given us the most.

Congress, by joint resolution of May 8, 1914 (38 Stat. 770), declared the second Sunday in May of each year “Mother’s Day” and requested the President to call for its due observance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, hereby declare May 14, 2023 as Mother’s Day. I urge all Americans to express their love, respect and gratitude to mothers everywhere. I call on all citizens to celebrate this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have put my hand to this
the twelfth of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-three, and of the independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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