Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Republicans’ Refusal To Debate The Paycheck Fairness Act

Washington, D.C. –  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding the Senate Republicans’ refusal to even debate legislation that would help provide equal pay for women. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks:

I want to thank the senator from Washington [Senator Murray] for her incredible leadership not only on this bill, but on this issue for pretty close to a decade, and it's long overdue.

We have been working in a very bipartisan way on numerous subjects--including the competition bill that just passed--but it appears there are real limits to bipartisanship here in the Senate.

We're about to vote just to start debate—just to start debate—on a bill that’s very simple: provide equal pay for women.

It is a modest proposal to address a real problem in our economy: women with the same jobs and same qualifications as their male colleagues often make less money.

It’s too hard for too many women to overcome that pay discrimination. This makes it easier for women to achieve pay parity and, like the previous bill, will help unleash strong economic forces to help America go forward.

When women are not getting the pay they deserve, it impedes our whole economy and all of the human resources that we need.

Every Senate Democrat is ready to start debate on the Paycheck Fairness Act. But Senate Republicans seem to be mounting another partisan filibuster against this bill.

It’s ridiculous that Senate Republicans would not even allow the Senate to debate a straightforward piece of legislation to help provide equal pay for working women in America, just like it was ridiculous for the Republican minority to filibuster bipartisan legislation to create an independent commission on January the 6th.

Americans expect their government to make progress to improve our country, but Senate Republicans once again seem to be choosing obstruction. 

###