When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families

Floor Speech

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Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the ``When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families.''

Let me first thank Leader Pelosi, of course, and Representatives Matsui and Frankel for their unwavering dedication to our Democratic Women's Working Group and for women and families all across the country.

Mr. Speaker, this agenda is about improving the future of our families and the economic security of all women. It is about increasing access to child care, retirement security, and equal pay for equal work. It is simply unacceptable in 2015 that women are still being paid 78 cents for every dollar that a man makes. African American women and Latinas are being paid even less, at 64 cents and 56 cents respectively, despite doing the same work as men. This is wrong. It is an embarrassment.

We must do more to advance the economic security of all women, like providing access to high quality and affordable child care. As a single mother who raised two amazing boys, I know what it is like to struggle to make ends meet. When I was a student at Mills College in Oakland, California, oftentimes I took my sons to class with me because I could not afford child care. Now, that was in the day. This is 2015, and women deserve better. So let's support this agenda and lift women up. When women succeed, America succeeds.

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