Tammy Duckworth: “America's daughters deserve better. Today, in the United States, women make only 77 cents for every dollar their male…”

“America's daughters deserve better. Today, in the United States, women make only 77 cents for every dollar their male peers earn. In my home State of Illinois, women earn nearly $12,000 a year less than their male counterparts. During my service in the Army, compared to my male counterparts, I received equal pay for equal work. This policy of fairness has helped make our military the strongest, fiercest in the world. Pay discrimination doesn't just hurt women; it hurts working families in towns like Itasca and Elgin, Illinois. I know that my neighbors in the Eighth Congressional District believe that their daughters deserve better than this. Pay equality for women is not only the right thing to do, but it will make our economy stronger; it will make our families stronger; it will make America stronger. So, on Equal Pay Day, let us recommit ourselves to doing everything in our power to end pay inequality for our country. Congress needs to act now and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act so that women have the opportunity to stand up to this discrimination. ____________________”