Contact your senators re Paycheck Fairness - filibuster won, women lost, 54-43

April 9, 2014YoungFeminists

From the Godmother of the Violence Against Women Act, Pat Reuss:

Please contact your Senators who voted against the Paycheck Fairness Bill and thank the ones who supported us (a phone thank you message for our champions is really important).

The Senate just fell 6 votes short of voting for cloture on the Paycheck Fairness Bill. Cloture is when they override a “filibuster” but these days occurs on just about every vote except judges. The official vote was 53 – 44 but that is because Harry Reid voted against cloture so he could move to bring the bill back up again at a later date. All Republicans present (43) voted against cloture and sadly that included Independent Angus King, Maine. Three Republicans did not vote: Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, John Cornyn of Texas and Ted Cruz of Texas – but they most likely would have voted against cloture and the bill.

Feel free to use in your response to the Senate vote on the Paycheck Fairness bill (S. 84, 52 sponsors, all Democrats/Independent):

The Republican War on Women is alive and well and has expanded the arena of combat in their determination to keep women as second class people. Where once this invasion/intrusion was limited to incursions into people’s bedrooms, trouncing their privacy and blasting their personal choices. It moved to name-calling and shaming victims who dare report sexual assault. The fray now includes raiding the pocketbooks of families with women workers. Today they aimed their firepower at equal pay but they are also opposing raising the minimum wage, extending unemployment insurance and covering birth control in health insurance – all programs and initiatives that serve mostly women and keep their families safe and thriving.

Consider Paul Ryan’s budget, which the House is debating this week. Among those functions of government the Republican congressman from Wisconsin would cut, many disproportionately benefit women, according to the National Women’s Law Center.

For example, Medicaid (about 70 percent of adult recipients are women), food stamps (63 percent of adult recipients are women) and Pell grants (62 percent) would be cut. Then there are programs in categories that would face cuts Ryan hasn’t specified: Supplemental Security Income (two-thirds of the poor and elderly recipients are women), welfare (85 percent of adult recipients are women), housing vouchers (82 percent of recipient households headed by women), child-care assistance (75 percent female-headed households) and the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-republicans-kiss-votes-from-women-goodbye/2014/04/08/6411f6c6-bf50-11e3-b195-dd0c1174052c_story.html

http://billmoyers.com/content/facts-figures-women-and-pay-inequality

Great column in today’s WPost

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/equal-pay-legislation--desperate-political-ploy-or-good-politics/2014/04/08/58ba4fe4-bf6e-11e3-bcec-b71ee10e9bc3_story.html

Pooh-poohers of the wage gap try to explain it away by saying that women just work fewer hours, and according to an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, “gravitate toward jobs with fewer risks, more comfortable conditions, regular hours, more personal fulfillment and greater flexibility.” Which must explain why two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers are women and livin’ the dream.

Senators – by state - who voted against cloture (needed 60 votes) and the Paycheck Fairness Act (Terms for senators in Class I expire in 2019, Class II in 2015, and Class III in 2017)

Murkowski, Lisa - (R - AK) Class III

(202) 224-6665 Contact: www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact

Sessions, Jeff - (R - AL) Class II

(202) 224-4124 Contact: www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Const...

Shelby, Richard C. - (R - AL) Class III

(202) 224-5744 Contact: www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/emailsenatorshelby

Boozman, John - (R - AR) Class III

(202) 224-4843 Contact: www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me

Flake, Jeff - (R - AZ) Class I

(202) 224-4521 Contact: www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff

McCain, John - (R - AZ) Class III

(202) 224-2235 Contact: www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form