[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5327]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             EQUAL PAY DAY

  (Mr. ESPAILLAT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Equal Pay Day. The 
year is 2017, and women, especially women of color, still earn 
significantly less than their male counterparts.
  Pay inequality disproportionately impacts women of color. For 
example, White women earn 80 cents to every dollar that her White male 
counterpart makes, African-American women earn an average of 63 cents 
per every dollar, and Latina women on average earn 54 cents for every 
dollar.
  This may seem like mere pennies on the dollar, but, over a lifetime, 
this translates to an estimated loss of almost $700,000 for a high 
school graduate and $1.2 million for a college graduate. $1.2 million--
can you imagine what these earnings mean to working families of today? 
That is health insurance, retirement savings, and food on the table. 
Unequal pay for equal work just doesn't add up. It is morally and 
mathematically wrong.
  Pay inequality is not only a women's issue, but a family issue. To my 
male colleagues, I ask: In 2017, do you not believe in strong women? In 
2017, do you not believe in equality?

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