Blumenthal Statement On GOP Decision To Filibuster Paycheck Fairness Act

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) released the following statement after Senate Republicans decided to filibuster the Paycheck Fairness Act for the third time since 2010. The Paycheck Fairness Act would help eliminate wage discrimination based on gender by making it illegal for employers to retaliate against workers who inquire about or disclose their ages or the wages of another employee in a complaint investigation. The legislation would also place the burden of proof in wage discrimination cases on the employer. More than a half century after the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963, women still make less than men in 97 percent of all professions.

“Congress must eventually pass this bill – and I will fight to bring it back – so all Americans have a fair shot. The Paycheck Fairness Act is good for all Americans – not just women, especially American families and businesses. In a country where 40 percent of all households depend on women as the primary or sole breadwinner, failing to pay women equally leaves children in poverty and families unable to send kids to college. People who do the same work should be given the same pay regardless of religion, race, or gender – a core principle embedded in American legal doctrine and a linchpin of the country’s economy.”