Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman, my coanchor, for joining me this hour. Mr. Speaker, as we come to a close, to just highlight some of the major reasons why the Congressional Black Caucus along with the House Democrats believe that, if we are really going to honor the role of women in this country, then we need to start by honoring them through equal pay. We need to honor them through an economic agenda that supports their needs and the needs of their families. And as my colleagues have already ably laid out, women now make up half--47 percent--of the general workforce and some 62 percent of the minimum wage workforce, which is up from about 30 percent in the 1950s. Twelve percent of workers in the United States have access to paid family leave through their employers, and fewer than 40 percent have access to personal medical leave through employer-provided short-term disability insurance. So one of the other cornerstones, in addition to giving women equal pay for equal work, for increasing the minimum wage, is providing a work-family balance by allowing women to be able to take off work when necessary to care for a loved one without losing their earnings and a paycheck.…”