Political Quotes

“What a moment of tremendous pride it is to be here in the 116th Congress under a Democratic majority as we finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. I rise in strong support of this bill, and I thank Chairman Scott for his tremendous leadership in shepherding this bill to the floor. I also thank the author of H.R. 7, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, who has been a champion for women's rights her entire career. The Paycheck Fairness Act is a testament to her tireless dedication to the eradication of the gender pay gap, and it is by her leadership that we are here today on the verge of obtaining a more equitable workforce. I also thank Congresswoman Waters, who has long advocated for and fought for pay equity and been a beacon of courage for women across this country. We passed the Equal Pay Act in 1963, which made it illegal to discriminate based on sex when men and women are performing jobs that require substantially equal effort, skill, and responsibility. We followed that up with title 7 of the Civil Rights Act, which, among other things, made it illegal to discriminate based on sex. And then 10 years ago, we passed the Lilly Ledbetter Act, which made it clear that every single inadequate paycheck a woman receives is a new act of discrimination. And yet, inequality persisted. Today, women are paid, on average, only 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, resulting in a gap of $10,169 per woman, per year. And that pay gap doesn't discriminate.…”