Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Lilly Ledbetter mark the fifth anniversary of the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in January. It's time for another step toward fair pay.
Democrats have the advantage over Republicans on equal pay, and they're
not letting up:
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will run web, Twitter and Facebook ads. A social media push using the hashtag #GOPPayGap will highlight instances in which GOP Senate candidates have come out as opposed to equal pay. [...]
Obama will unveil two executive orders meant to address pay discrepancies between women and men on Tuesday, which marks “Equal Pay Day.”
And Senate Democrats will vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act on Tuesday, a bill that has no chance of making it through the House, but is likely to draw near-unified opposition from Republicans, giving Democrats a proof-point in their equal pay messaging push.
As usual with important economic legislation these days, what congressional Democrats can accomplish is limited to a Senate vote showing that Republicans oppose measures to reduce pay discrimination, but those executive orders from Obama are definitely something to watch for. And the point has to be driven home from here to eternity: Republicans are defending a status quo of discrimination. They
worry equal pay measures will hurt men. They think equal pay is
a distraction or a blow to the free market. They think it's
nonsense. In short, the only way the Paycheck Fairness Act becomes law is if Democrats control both houses of Congress and the presidency—and Republicans don't want voters reminded of that fact.