Congress urges President to designate Frances Perkins Homestead as national monument

MAINE PUBLIC • November 1, 2024

Members of Congress are urging President Joe Biden to designate the Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle as a national monument. Forty-two members wrote to the president, citing Perkins' accomplishments as the first female cabinet member and longest-serving Labor Secretary, one of the architects of the New Deal, and champion of programs such as unemployment insurance and Social Security. The Homestead is currently a National Historical Landmark, but a national monument designation, they argue, would further the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of empowering the National Park Service to recognize contributions women have made to our country.