I'm Brian Lerer. This is my daily politics podcast from WNYC Studios. It's Friday, February 5th.

Today could be the day when Congress passes President Biden's first COVID relief bill that could deliver up to

$1.9 trillion to people being economically socked by the pandemic. And one thing that the data

shows and that just about everyone affected knows through experience, women and especially moms

with kids at home are getting sock more than anyone.

December's jobs report, have you heard the stat showed a net loss in this country of 140,000 jobs?

The net loss among women was 140,000 jobs.

The net loss among men was zero.

Black and Latinx women are disproportionately affected because of the pandemic-sensitive service work. They disproportionately do. This doesn't even begin to address the fact that mothers with jobs are doing those jobs and actively parenting more than men, duh, and the mental health toll of that. And we'll get to that.

But nearly five million women have lost their jobs in the pandemic, more lost jobs than men.

An estimated two million other women who have voluntarily left the workforce, largely to take care

of kids who are going to school remotely is another category.

A third of the women ages 25 to 44 who lost their job, said child care is the reason.

So a group of women led by Reshma Sawjani, the founder of the group, Girls Who Code. You know her?

She's been on the show, and she's done a lot with Girls Who Code,

took out a full-page ad in the New York Times,

an open letter to President Biden,

calling for a Marshall Plan for Moms.

A Marshall Plan for Moms.

What is that?

Well, at the heart of it is a $2,400 a month check to mothers,

depending on their other income. Here is Rashma-Shawjani on MSNBC. I mean, when COVID started,

...