Nonprofit advocacy organization Chamber of Mothers made one of the final stops on its cross-country Mothers United tour on Wednesday, Oct. 29, touching down in Washington, D.C. in the midst of a federal government shutdown. While the shutdown was an unexpected development for the nonprofit, it only served to amplify its message about supporting mothers in need.
First founded in 2021 after paid maternal leave was cut from a budget bill before it was passed, Chamber of Mothers aims to educate mothers about their rights and advocate for policies like paid maternal leave, affordable childcare and more expansive maternal health coverage. The nonprofit’s work is bipartisan, aiming to unite women on both sides of the aisle in advocating for themselves and their rights.
The Mothers United tour saw Chamber of Mothers representatives traveling across the United States aboard a bus stocked with maternity resources, hoping to connect with women and discuss the chamber’s mission. Before D.C., the bus traveled to places like Austin, Texas; Atlanta, Ga. and Orlando, Fla.
“This country has no federally-protected paid leave,” said Cassie Shortsleeve, co-founder of Chamber of Mothers, at the D.C. event. “One in four moms goes back to work two weeks after postpartum, and they’re still bleeding.”
Currently, Chamber of Mothers has chapters in 43 states and hopes to continue expanding to pursue local and federal advocacy.
Heather Lane Powers, an author who writes about women in the workforce and serves as head of the D.C. chapter of Chamber of Mothers, notes that 2025 has been an especially difficult year for mothers in the DMV. Federal workers and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) professionals have been laid off in droves, and SNAP benefits are currently in flux for many families who rely on it. Chamber of Mothers’s partnerships with local nonprofits have become more important than ever for many of its members.
“[This work] wasn’t easy back then, but I think it’s even harder these days,” Powers said. “2025 has been particularly challenging because people who didn’t necessarily have these challenges before are really facing them now. … These needs have always been there, but I think people in the D.C. area are really feeling it more than in the past.”
