Senator Murray on Republicans Blocking the Paycheck Fairness Act: "A Total Disgrace"

Statement

(Washington, D.C.) -- Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on Senate Republicans voting to block consideration of the Paycheck Fairness Act, common-sense legislation to help end to the wage gap, and ensure women are paid fairly for their work.

Despite the fact that the Paycheck Fairness Act is co-sponsored by every Democrat in Congress, and has attained broad, bipartisan support from people across the political spectrum, Republican senators voted against a motion to even debate the bill with a final vote of 49-50 that failed to meet the 60 vote threshold needed to overcome the filibuster.

"Each and every Republican Senator represents a state where about half of the population earns less than they deserve--and yet they cannot get on board with a common-sense bill that will help end the wage gap. That's completely ridiculous and a total disgrace--and it's the women that they represent that will have to bear the consequences of their inaction.

"And let's get one thing straight: the bill that Republicans just blocked is not radical or partisan--it will simply close loopholes that would increase transparency and accountability so workers know whether they're being paid fairly, and help families and our economy to fully recover from the economic harm of the pandemic. But Senate Republicans won't even allow us to have a debate on this critical and common-sense bill--despite the fact that nine out of ten women think achieving equal pay is important."

"Today's vote is only going to motivate women across the country to fight harder to get this bill done. And I'm one of them."

The Paycheck Fairness Act would help end the wage gap by closing loopholes that allow pay discrimination to continue, and protect workers from retaliation for discussing their pay. It would limit the use of prior wage history in the hiring process, so that pay discrimination would not follow workers from job to job. It would also increase transparency and accountability so workers know whether they're being paid fairly--and have the evidence to hold employers accountable if they aren't.

Earlier today, in speech on the Senate floor, Senator Murray stressed that pay inequity has real consequences for women--highlighting the example that Latina women earn on average almost $30,000 less over the course of just one year, as compared to what white men. She emphasized that the Paycheck Fairness Act is a critical step to ensure women, their families, and our economy can fully recover from the pandemic.

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