BROOKLYN, NY –U.S.  Representative Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on Monday commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s signing of the Equal Pay Act:

“President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act on June 10th, 1963, a law intended to eliminate the practice of paying women less than men for the for the same amount of work,” said Representative Clarke. “We have not yet fulfilled the promise of the Equal Pay Act – women continue to earn less than men – 77 cents for every dollar a man earns.”

Representative Clarke continued: “the disparity in wages between men and women undermines our commitment to equality – indeed, it undermines the Equal Protection Clause of our Constitution. We have a responsibility as Americans to resolve this problem as soon as possible.” 

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight, and Regulations; Ethics; and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents several neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which includes Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, Ocean Hill, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.