NEED TO KNOW
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is responding to Halle Berry’s pointed criticism of his decision to veto menopause care legislation two years in a row.
Speaking with members of the media at New Jersey’s Newark Airport on Thursday, Dec. 4, Newsom, 58, clarified his position on the menopause care legislation that inspired Berry’s criticism. He said that he’d spoken with Berry’s manager, and that the actress, 59, “didn’t know” that his administration plans to include funding for the proposal in his upcoming budget for 2026-27.
“We have the ability to reconcile that, so we’re reconciling. I’ve included it in next year’s budget,” Newsom told a reporter. “She didn’t know that.”
“We already were in the process of fixing it,” Newsom continued.
Speaking at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Dec. 3, Berry said the California politician “shouldn’t be our next president” because she believes that he has “devalued women.”
Her comments come weeks after Newsom vetoed the Menopause Care Equity Act — AB 432 —for the second year in a row in October. Berry has backed the law, which would have made it easier for women to receive medical treatments to address the effects of menopause, per Politico Pro.
GLYN / BACKGRID
“Back in my great state of California, my very own governor, Gavin Newsom, has vetoed our menopause bill, not one, but two years in a row,” Berry told the audience.
“But that’s okay, because he’s not going to be governor forever, and with the way he has overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us in midlife, he probably should not be our next president either,” she continued, drawing audible gasps from the crowd. “Just saying.”
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Newsom’s office previously responded to Berry’s comments in a statement provided to PEOPLE, noting that the governor has “deep admiration for Ms. Berry’s advocacy” on women’s issues, and that he “looks forward to working with her and other stakeholders on this critical issue.”
“He vetoed the bill because, as written, it would have unintentionally raised health care costs for millions of working women already stretched thin — something he’s determined to avoid,” the statement continued. “We’re confident that by working together this year, we can expand access to essential menopause treatment while protecting women from higher bills.”
