Pelosi prods Senate to help close wage gap between women and men

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday vowed to close the pay gap between women and men and urged the Senate to act quickly to pass measures her Democrats will send to the upper chamber as soon as next month.

“Democrats renew our efforts to ensure all women are empowered to succeed in our economy — because when women succeed, America succeeds,” the California Democrat said as part of Congress’ observance of Equal Pay Day.

The House Education and Labor Committee began passing the Democrats’ equal-pay agenda in a party-line vote that advanced the Paycheck Fairness Act. It would require, among other measures, that employers that pay men more than women explain why and make it easier for women to file class-action lawsuits over wage disparities.

The committee’s Democratic chairman, Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, said it would “make significant strides in closing the gender pay gap.” 

Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the top Republican on the committee, said women should not be paid less than men but that the bill would spawn “frivolous lawsuits” as a gift for trial lawyers. 

“This committee’s Republicans are not in the business of passing radical legislation to get flashy headlines and score political points,” she said.

Mrs. Pelosi said the full House will pass the wage bill next month. She demanded the Senate “act swiftly to join us in delivering results for America’s women.”

Decades after Congress passed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women on average still make 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. Black women are paid 63 cents and Hispanic women make only 55 cents compared to every dollar earned by men, according to studies cited by Democrats.

“This is a disgrace, and it has long-term consequences for women and families,” House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, New York Democrat, said at a hearing to mark Equal Pay Day.

Mrs. Maloney said the coronavirus pandemic has particularly hurt female workers.

The Education and Labor Committee also advanced a bill that would require employers to make accommodations for pregnant people such as providing additional bathroom breaks. It also would prohibit employers from not hiring or promoting someone because of their pregnancy. 

Republican lawmakers objected to the bill because it does not exempt religious groups.

Republicans also challenged the premises behind the equal-pay agenda.

Rep. Pat Fallon, Texas Republican, questioned whether men are unfairly paid more than women and said the government should stay out of how much companies pay workers.

“We live in a market-based, free-enterprise economy,” Mr. Fallon said at the hearing. “And generally speaking the more than the central government — or in our case, the federal government — meddles with the private sector and nibbles away at their liberty, the worse off the private sector is.”

He questioned data showing men are paid more than women.

“It’s unfair not to take into account other factors,” Mr. Fallon said. “For instance, the job itself, the skill level of the employee, the experience of that employee, the hours worked by that employee.”

That drew outrage from Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Virginia Democrat, who noted that women had been discriminated against in entering certain careers.

“Oh, my God,” he said in response to Mr. Fallon. “What we just heard requires you to forget a blatant history of education and discrimination with respect to women’s careers.”