Transcript of Pelosi, DeLauro, Matsui, Frankel Press Availability on Equal Pay Day Today

Contact: Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer held a press availability today. Below is a transcript of the Leader's opening and closing remarks, as well as a question and answer session:

Leader Pelosi's Opening Remarks:

Leader Pelosi. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm honored to be here with Congresswoman DeLauro, who as you know is our Co-Chair of our Steering & Policy Committee, Congresswoman Doris Matsui, who is the Co-Chair of the [Democratic] Women's Working Group, and with Lois Frankel, who is the head of our "Women Lead" initiative. As you all probably know, this is Pay Equity Day. That means up until today, women have been working for free. Starting tomorrow, women will be getting paid for their work this year – but not if you're an African-American woman, and not if you're a Hispanic-American woman. You still have to work a few more weeks unpaid in order to catch up with your male counterpart – equal experience, equal qualifications, and equal responsibilities.

In 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act. And this is what he said at the time: he said that prohibiting pay discrimination against women is a "structure basic to our democracy." Almost 50 years later, before signing his first piece of legislation – President Obama, the first bill he signed was the Lily Ledbetter Bill, he said: "Making our economy work means making sure it works for everyone." It's past time for the Republican-led Congress to bring a paycheck fairness bill to the floor, for many reasons – but I do want Rosa DeLauro to talk about most of them, because she has been our leader, our godmother on this issue. She will tell you how many times she has introduced this bill. We passed it in the House when we had the majority. We couldn't pass it in the Senate. But I want to, in bringing her forward, commend her for her tremendous leadership.

Congresswoman DeLauro. Doris is next.

Leader Pelosi. Oh, Doris is next, okay.

[Laughter]

I just returned from a trip to Asia on the mission of trade, security and human rights – including women's rights. And Doris Matsui was a champion in saying to the leaders of the countries, and presidents, legislators, foreign ministers, how important the advancement of women is in America and in the world. Because, as we know in America, "when women succeed, America succeeds." And the same holds true globally. Congresswoman Matsui.

Leader Pelosi's Closing Remarks:

Leader Pelosi. Since 1997, Rosa has been introducing the Paycheck Fairness Act. I think Pay Equity Day should be called "Rosa DeLauro Day" myself. But let me say this: this is also part of what the President talked about when he talked about middle income economics, "middle class economics" versus trickle-down economics. We'll never really have the upturn in our economy that we need to see – even though so many indicators are very positive on the upturn in the economy – we'll never get the one we need to see until we strengthen the paycheck of America's working families.

Bigger paychecks – better infrastructure, yes – but also paycheck fairness: women make up such a large part of the economy. If they have more purchasing power, not only for all the necessities that Rosa talked about, not only about pension security, and what it means right now – it's almost a half a million dollars less that a woman would make than a man doing a comparable job over a lifetime. And what does that mean to woman's retirement, and to her social security?

But getting back to the middle class economics: this confidence, this consumer confidence that we need to turn around our economy would be greatly strengthened – that confidence would be – if we had equal pay for equal work. So again, "When Women Succeed, America Succeeds." That was our bus trip. That's our agenda. But it's about paycheck fairness, it's about paid sick leave – and I commend the Administration for their "Lead on Leave," paid sick leave [agenda], as well as issues that relate to quality affordable childcare. It's not just about women. It's about families, about men who are caregivers, and also stay at home dads, or just part of a family. With that, I'd be pleased to take any questions.

***

Q: Madam Leader, a big week for women in politics; Hillary Clinton announcing her run for the presidency. Do you endorse her, and just your thoughts as one of the most powerful women in American political history?

Leader Pelosi. Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute – let me just hold that thought for a moment. We're here about paycheck fairness and I wondered if anyone had any questions about our prospects?

Q: Isn't she the embodiment of paycheck fairness?

[Laughter]

Leader Pelosi. We'll get to that. But on this subject, this morning, we had Pay Equity Day at the Department of Labor, and [we] talked about, much more extensively, what it meant in the lives of America's families. This is really very important. And so many women who are here: we want you to have that paycheck fairness. So many fathers who are here: we want your children, your sisters, your moms, all to have that. It makes a very big difference. No questions?

Q: I have a question. Senator Fischer has a bill in the Senate that's a scaled-down version of Paycheck Fairness [Act] that has the anti-retaliation provision, but doesn't have the punitive damages, doesn't have the shifting of the burden of proof. Is that something that you would vote for if it were to reach the House?

Congresswoman DeLauro. I think that you've said it accurately, that it does deal with the anti-retaliation piece. But in fact, what it doesn't do is look at those employers who are making a decision on what they're paying their employees, their female employees, and having to let us know why there is a gender disparity – and thereby allowing for women to have that opportunity, that if there is discrimination, to be able to sue, and to be able to sue for punitive damages. That's a very strong and important part of the legislation.

And interestingly enough, with the Leader, at the time there was concern as to whether or not we could pass in the House of Representatives a bill that allowed for punitive damages. And lo and behold, yes we did. There were some concerns – not on that issue, but on small businesses – and we adjusted those, and they were voted on, and it was a bipartisan vote on paycheck fairness – twice, so that we can maintain it as strong as it can be and allow women to have that flexibility, if they're being discriminated against, to be able to sue for damages.

Q: Is their bill better than nothing, though?

Congresswoman DeLauro. You know, I think that I'll speak for myself on that. I've been here for 25 years. And I think what we need to do, at this juncture, is to make sure we are going for the strongest protection of women in the workforce and women on behalf of their families. They deserve no less.

Leader Pelosi. I'd also say that it is no substitute for the full bill, as the Congresswoman indicated, for the reasons she indicated. It's a good provision of a bigger bill. It's no substitute for the bill.

Congresswoman Frankel. It also gives employers much less incentive to discriminate. That's why it's needed.

Congresswoman DeLauro. Madam Leader, can I just say one more thing on paycheck…

Leader Pelosi. Please.

Congresswoman DeLauro. I mean, I'm looking out at the audience, as well. When we take a look at men, women, same jobs, same pay, we are the consummate example. We come from different parts of the country. We come with different skill sets. We come with different educational backgrounds. We are in the same job as our male counterparts, and we get paid the same amount of money. And as I say, I look out at the audience: that should be true for women who are engineers, for women who are news anchors, for women who are teachers, for women who are nurses, for women who are library directors, museum directors, whatever it is. If the person standing next to you is male, doing the exact same job as you are doing, you ought to be paid the same amount of money as he is. It's a very simple premise. And the Congress is a consummate example of what that is, when you hear from people who say: "Well, you choose to do this, you have different skill sets, you have different education backgrounds," all of those things are true here. We get paid the same amount of money.

Congresswoman Frankel. And what her bill does – it allows people to find out what other people are making. Because you can't have a lawsuit without that.

Leader Pelosi. Well I'll end where we began, and then I'll come to your question, and that is: for three and a half months, women in America have been working for free, when they work in a situation where there is not paycheck fairness – where their male counterpart makes, what, 78 cents on the dollar that their male counterpart makes. It is simply not right – go to work every working day, for three and a half months, as a donation to your employer. Not right. Thank you all. Now, what was your question?

[Laughter]

Q: A big week for women in politics: Hillary Clinton announcing her candidacy for the presidency. Do you endorse her? And as the most powerful female politician up until this point, what are your thoughts? This is probably the best chance of cracking the glass ceiling of all time.

Leader Pelosi. Well first of all, it's a marble ceiling.

[Laughter]

Glass? That's easy. It's a marble ceiling. And I took great pride in cracking the marble ceiling to become Speaker and even Leader in the House. I won't be using this occasion – as disappointing as that may be to you – to make any announcement about any endorsement for president.

But I will say what I have always said: Hillary Clinton will be a great candidate for president. And when she wins, and goes into the Oval Office, she'll be one of the best-prepared people in the lifetime of many of you here, certainly of mine as well, to serve in that office. She has a vision for our country. She knows how to get the job done and she is just so appealing to so many in our country. There's great enthusiasm for her candidacy. I don't do politics in the Capitol, so I'll be saving any endorsement that I may have for another day.

Q: That's not an endorsement what you just did?

[Laughter]

Q: Can I ask a question about Cuba? You put out a statement here just a moment ago. And so obviously you appreciate what the Administration is doing here, but some on the other side are saying Cuba should still be on the list, that they do sponsor state terrorism.

Leader Pelosi. No. I don't even know that Cuba should have ever been on the list, to tell you the truth – or certainly not for 50-some years. I think the President did the right thing. We're trying to go into the future, and it is amusing to me that some candidates who describe themselves as candidates for the future are so wedded to Cuban politics of the past. But in any event, as we go into the future to set up diplomatic relations, to have an exchange of ideas between our two countries, our near neighbor in this hemisphere, it's very important. And I salute the President for the action that he took.

When Rosa and I were just down in Cuba a few weeks ago it was very important to the Cubans that they be taken off this list. It means a lot to their country. And, really, I don't think it's justified and I think the President did the right thing.

Q: Carlos Curbelo says that this was something that was "pre-baked" in secret after the Alan Gross release. Do you think there's something to that?

Leader Pelosi. I have no idea what he's talking about.

Congresswoman DeLauro. You know what was so critically important on the trip that the Leader led with several of us to Cuba – and for me it was my third time to Cuba – there was a sense of the historic moment. And I think it's true from the U.S. point of view and the Cuban point of view with the leaders that we met there that this is a historic moment. Yes, there are some difficult issues to sort through – this being one of them, the state-sponsored terrorist list – but the understanding of the history of moment to be able to not, as the Leader said, focus on the policies of the past, whether you're the United States or Cuba, but to look forward to the future on where we can go, and what that can mean to a U.S. economy, what that can mean to a Cuban economy.

Leader Pelosi. I don't know what you mean by "pre-baked". The President made his announcement in December; it's four months later. So I don't know what "pre-baked" means.

Q: His argument was that – he was saying that this was a condition set by the Cuban government in those talks.

Leader Pelosi. No, that's not true at all. That's not true at all.

But anyway, thank you all very much. Hopefully we will not have to come together to observe pay equity day…

Q: I have a question to follow a post-question. As someone who spends a lot of time focused on Congressional candidates, I was just wondering what you think Hillary Clinton's candidacy means for Congressional Democrats in 2016.

Leader Pelosi. Well, I think whoever or nominee is for President will have a very positive impact in a presidential year. A presidential year in politics. It has it all: it has power, it has ideas, it has vision or the future, it has glamour even. It's the major event and it's where we attract people to vote. And I think that our Democratic nominee – whoever she may be…

[Laughter]

Thank you.

Q: So the Maryland person that runs, you're not – O'Malley. You're originally from Maryland…[inaudible]

Leader Pelosi. I think he's great. The elections are about the future and he's about the future, so it will be a good exchange whatever he decides to do. Thank you.

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