Political Quotes

“Madam President, 5 years ago, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was signed into law by President Obama. That bill--necessary because of a divided decision by the Supreme Court to strike a blow to the rights of working families in Vermont and across the country--was a first step in closing the still-existing gender wage gap. Today, one day after commemorating Equal Pay Day, Senators will once again have the opportunity to stand with working families and support equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender. I am proud to cosponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act, which Senator Mikulski--a trailblazer herself--has once again introduced to close loopholes that allow employers to unfairly discriminate workers based on gender. Thanks to the hard work and perseverance of earlier generations, working women today have career and business opportunities never before available. Yet, despite the gains we have made, there remains a troubling constant--women continue to earn less than men. According to the Census Bureau, women still only earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. This disparity has real-world, financial consequences: on average, women are paid more than $11,000 per year less than men. And of American households with children under the age of 18, 40 percent list women as their sole or primary earners.…”