Equal pay bill poised to pass US House, faces long road in Senate

The bill would make it easier to sue employers in the United States over pay discrimination, but Republicans say laws already on the books are enough to stop the problem.

House Democrats were poised to pass legislation Thursday that they say would help close the gap between what men and women are paid in the workplace in the United States, though the measure faces little chance of overcoming Republican opposition in the Senate. The bill, which is supported by US President Joe Biden’s administration, is the latest salvo in a long-running debate about equality of pay and the government’s role in ensuring it. Despite their past efforts, including the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 signed into law by President Barack Obama, Democrats say there is still more that needs to be done to close a gap in pay, where women make on average 82 cents to every dollar earned by men. “Sadly, equal pay is not yet a reality in America,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California. “It’s almost sinful.”