Senator Murray to Republicans on Equal Pay Day: “Work with Democrats to Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act”

Senator Murray: “I’m once again calling on all my Republican colleagues: work with Democrats in our fight for equal pay and help us pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.”

(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 Equal Pay Day.

“On Equal Pay Day, we are reminded that about one-half of the workers in this country earn less than they deserve—and for many women of color and women with disabilities, the wage gap is even wider. This means women are losing thousands every year in lost wages—and facing steeper challenges saving for retirement, supporting their families, affording child care and health care, and just being able to make ends meet.

“This is simply unacceptable. We owe it to women across the country to ensure they are paid fairly for their work, and there’s a clear path forward to make progress: passing the Paycheck Fairness Act—common-sense legislation to help end pay discrimination. This isn’t radical or partisan—the majority of Americans want us to do more to address the wage gap, every single Democrat in Congress is on board, and it’s already passed the House, too. But that hasn’t stopped Republicans from blocking Democrats’ efforts to get this done and standing by while the wage gap persists.

“So today, I’m once again calling on all my Republican colleagues: work with Democrats in our fight for equal pay and help us pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.”

Senator Murray has led efforts in Congress to close the wage gap and ensure all women are paid fairly for their work—including by leading the reintroduction of the Paycheck Fairness Act with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). The bill would help end the wage gap by closing loopholes that allow pay discrimination to continue and would protect workers from retaliation for discussing their pay.

Senator Murray fought to bring the legislation—which is co-sponsored by every Democrat in Congress—up for a vote in June 2021, but every single Senate Republican blocked it, voting against a motion to even debate it.

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