President Obama appeared on a White House conference call Monday to urge Americans to pressure their Senators into supporting the Paycheck Fairness Act currently before the Senate. Women are a key constituency for Obama in the general election fight, and working for greater pay equity between men and women has been a central component of the president’s administration. Republicans view the act as political posturing, claiming the pay equity problem had been solved with the Lily Ledbetter Act, the first bill Obama signed into law upon becoming president.
Obama said the law is needed to help bring women’s pay in line with men’s.
“We’ve made process but we’ve got a lot more to do. Women still earn just 70 cents for every dollar a man earns. It’s worse for African-American women and Latinas,” Obama said. “Over the course of her career, a woman with a college degree is going to earn hundreds of thousands less than a man doing the same work, so at the time when we’re at a make or break moment for the middle class, Congress has to step up and do its job.”
Obama addressed the American people, urging them to light up Senate switchboards.
“Let’s face it, Congress is not going to act because I said it’s important. They’re going to act because you guys said it’s important,” Obama said. “Senators have to know you’re holding them accountable.”
