Political Quotes

“Today, on Equal Pay Day, we call attention to the fact that American women who work full time are paid only 78 percent of what men earn. For women of color, the discrepancy is worse. This pay gap will cost a 25-year-old woman $34,000 over the next 5 years. Over her career, she will lose $431,000 relative to men. Women make up nearly half of the American workforce. Underpaying half of our workers hurts women, hurts families, and hurts the economy. In New York, we have the smallest pay gap among the States, but women in New York still earn only 86 cents for every dollar a man is paid. We can do much better. When President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, which requires equal pay for equal work, women's pay was 59 percent of men's. We have made progress, but time has exposed loopholes that hinder the law. I call on the House to pass Congresswoman DeLauro's Paycheck Fairness Act, which would close these loopholes and bring us closer to pay equity. Let's act now to make equal pay for equal work a reality. ____________________”