[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 57 (Monday, April 3, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H2617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING EQUAL PAY DAY
(Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in honor of Equal
Pay Day, which is tomorrow.
Women in our country earn, on average, 78 cents for every dollar that
a man makes. For women of color, that gap is larger. Even in my own
district, the Eighth Congressional District of Illinois, where the
overall disparity is smaller, women still only earn 83 cents on the
dollar.
The pay gap is not simply a women's issue, but a challenge for all
Americans. Gender wage disparities are a fundamental obstacle to
millions of families trying to make ends meet.
At a time when nearly two-thirds of mothers are primary, sole, or co-
breadwinners for their families, the pay gap makes it that much harder
to pay for groceries, housing, child care, and all the other
necessities of daily life.
I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act
and hope all my colleagues will join me in supporting this bill to
address pay discrimination.
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