Trade Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. President, last night we passed resolutions, and here we are talking about taking 30 seconds out of our busy, busy schedule. Of course, we were in a quorum call for a few hours today. We could take 30, 50, or 82 seconds out of the 100 hours or so we will spend during the month sitting here doing nothing and pass a resolution that calls for the equal treatment of male and female athletes.

If we cannot even do that, is it any wonder that the approval ratings of the Senate are in the tank? If we cannot even pass a nonbinding resolution, how can we ever achieve real pay equity for women? What is the real objection? We are simply urging for the equal treatment of female athletes. Treating people differently solely because of their gender is unacceptable. It sends a terrible message to mothers, daughters, and granddaughters across the globe.

As I said, every single Democrat supports this resolution. I am very disappointed that the Republicans are blocking it.

I will leave after saying one more thing. The women's team won to international acclaim, and they were awarded $2 million. The men's teams that lost in the first round was paid $8 million. The men's team that won was awarded $35 million.

Wimbledon knows better. The U.S. Open Tennis Championships said enough is enough. Women should be treated the same as men.

A 13-year-old girl wrote to the President and said: ``It makes me mad that people do not treat girls equally.'' Well, I have a granddaughter who will be 13 in December. How do I speak to her? How do I tell her that the U.S. Senate--which is sort of waiting around here and has not done anything today--is unwilling to take 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 50 seconds to say: Let's treat women athletes the same as men.

I thank my Democratic colleagues for supporting this legislation. I hope my Republican colleagues will change their minds and say: Let's treat female athletes the same as male athletes, especially since the World Cup organization made a fortune on TV rights. They certainly made a heck of a lot more money on those TV rights while the women were winning than they were making when the men's team lost, but the men's teams that lost in the first round were still paid $8 million. They made four times more than the women who won the championship were paid. It is sexist, and it is wrong.

In this day and age we need to stop treating women as second-class citizens. I do not want my daughter treated that way. I do not want my granddaughters treated that way. I do not want the women in Vermont treated that way. I do not want women anywhere in this country to be treated that way. I want to say to that 13-year-old girl who is angry because of the unfair treatment of girls: I am sorry the U.S. Senate would not stand up for you, but I, and others, stand up for you, and I always will. Let us hope someday the Senate stands up for you too.

We can see how busy we are at this time. There is not a single Senator on the floor, except for the distinguished Presiding Officer, of course, and so I will suggest the absence of a quorum.

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