Political Quotes

“Madam Presdient, today, the Judiciary Committee is conducting the confirmation hearing of Mr. Eric Holder to be the next Attorney General of the United States. One of the Justice Department's essential roles in our Federal system of government is to protect the civil rights of all Americans, including those that prohibit discrimination. The Bush administration's erosion of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's long held interpretation of our discrimination laws has created a new obstacle for victims of pay discrimination to receive justice. The Justice Department has advocated a position that has set back the progress we had made toward eliminating workplace discrimination. This was a mistake. Unfortunately, five Justices on the Supreme Court adopted the Justice Department's erroneous interpretation of congressional intent. That decision necessitates our action here today. We must pass legislation so that employers are not rewarded for deceiving workers about their illegal conduct. Equal pay for equal work should be a given in this country. I expect we will hear from some opponents of the bill that somehow this legislation will encourage workers who are being paid less as a result of discrimination to delay filing suit for equal pay. This argument defies logic. Anyone who heard Lilly Ledbetter's testimony last year before either the Senate Judiciary Committee or the Senate Heath, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee knows that Ms.…”