[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3253]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  (Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate 
Women's History Month.
  As one of the 108 women in Congress today, I am thankful to follow 
the trail blazed by so many American women who demanded the right to 
vote and participate in our democracy.
  I am inspired by recent historic milestones, for example, of the 
first women ever who are graduating from the Army's elite Ranger school 
and of the Department of Defense, which is finally expanding all combat 
roles to qualified servicewomen. These achievements are further proof 
that women can break any barrier if they are given the chance, if they 
are willing to, and if they are given the support and opportunity to do 
so.
  Unfortunately, today's widespread social and economic inequalities 
disproportionately hurt American women. In 2016, a typical woman in 
America earns only 79 cents to the dollar that a man earns. Over a 
lifetime, that is $400,000 of wages lost, and she risks losing her job 
if she needs to care for her children or sick family members.
  So we take this month to thank America's women, but there is a lot 
more to do.

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