Four years after President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, women are still earning less than men, according to data gathered from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Fair Pay Act, which was designed to make challenging unequal pay easier for women, was the first law Obama signed into office as president. In a statement released from the White House Monday, Obama said he has been encouraging Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act as a follow up:
To grow our middle class and spur progress in the years ahead, we need to address longstanding inequity that keeps women from earning a living equal to their efforts. That is why I have made pay equity a top priority -- from signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act days after I took office to cracking down on equal pay law violations wherever they occur. And to back our belief in equality with the weight of law, I continue to call on the Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.Our country has come a long way toward ensuring everyone gets a fair shot at opportunity, no matter who you are or where you come from. But our journey will not be complete until our mothers, our wives, our sisters, and our daughters are treated equally in the workplace and always see an honest day's work rewarded with honest wages. Today, let us renew that vision for ourselves and for our children, and let us rededicate ourselves to realizing it in the days ahead.
Republicans have blocked attempts to move the Paycheck Fairness Act in both the Senate and House, with GOP leaders speaking out in opposition of the bill.