The statement "The federal government should pass the Equal Rights Amendment" could best be described as.

an argument or claim

Explanation:

An argument refers to a disagreement. A person who argues supports his statement through a "claim." In order to support his claim, he needs to provide a reason for it.

For example, in the sentence above: "The federal government should pass the Equal Rights Amendment." This is a claim which needs a reason. The reason could be "because women should also be considered when it comes to having access to education and public welfare."

Thus, this explains the answer.