Obama Pushes Congress on Paycheck Fairness for Women
President Barack Obama urgedCongress on Monday to pass legislation to help women get equal pay for equal work, emphasizing his support for an important issue among female voters even though it has little chance of becoming law.
Speaking on the topic of gender equality, which Obama’s Democrats have used to highlight differences with his Republican rival Mitt Romney, the president said the bill could also help the economy.
“This is more than just about fairness,” he told a conference call to urge the Senate to back the Paycheck Fairness Act. “Women are the breadwinners for a lot of families and if they’re making less than men do for the same work, families are going to have to get by for less money.”
The Senate will hold a procedural vote on Tuesday on a motion to debate the bill. Democratic leaders are not expected to get the 60 votes needed to proceed, a clear sign that the effort is more about electioneering than law-making.