Senators Coons, Blunt Rochester Join Senate Democratic Caucus in Reintroducing Paycheck Fairness Act to End Wage Discrimination and Close the Gender Pay Gap

March 27, 2025

With Delaware women earning only 87% of what men earn, we must do more to close the gap

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester (both D-Del.) have joined the Senate Democratic Caucus in reintroducing Senator Patty Murray’s (D-Wash.) Paycheck Fairness Act on Equal Pay Day this week. The legislation aims to combat pay discrimination and close the gender pay gap by strengthening the Equal Pay Act of 1963. It would end pay secrecy, enhance available remedies for employees to challenge discrimination, and hold employers accountable. U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) led the reintroduction of the Paycheck Fairness Act in the House.

More than six decades after the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the gender wage gap still exists. While Delaware fares better than most states, women in the First State still earn only 87% of what men make, according to the Delaware Office of Women’s Advancement and Advocacy. Over the course of a 40-year career, a typical American woman stands to earn $460,000 less than a man doing the same job, according to the National Women’s Law Center.

“Guaranteeing equal pay for equal work isn’t just about fairness—it strengthens our economy and improves quality of life for Delaware’s women and families,” said Senator Coons. “Fixing the gender pay gap through the Paycheck Fairness Act is a critical step toward ensuring that hard work is valued equally, regardless of sex.”

“It has been 50 years since the Equal Pay Act became law, yet the gender pay gap persists. It is simply unacceptable that, for every dollar a man makes nationally, a woman is paid 75 cents,” said Senator Blunt Rochester, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “As Delaware’s former Secretary of Labor and State Personnel Director, I am proud to stand with my Democratic colleagues in reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation I have long supported. Now is the time to deliver on the promise of the Equal Pay Act and make equal pay for equal work a reality.”

“When you do the same work as your colleagues, you should get the same pay. No one should be paid less simply because they are a woman. The principle is simple, but the problem is far from trivial. It’s an injustice that compounds over time, robbing women of hundreds of thousands of dollars over their careers,” said Senator Murray. “For anyone who is serious about fighting for women and ensuring our economy is built on merit—not discrimination—this is basic. But right now, figures like Trump and Elon Musk are undermining decades-old protections that ensure equal pay. They are eliminating an executive order that protected women in federal contracts, and making it easier for employers to get away with wage theft. Women don’t want more discrimination. They want the pay they earned. Democrats are showing that we stand with women, we stand for fairness, and we’re committed to ensuring people get the pay they’ve earned, down to the last dime.”

“Equal Pay Day marks how far into the year a woman must work to catch up to what her male counterpart earned in the previous year,” said Representative DeLauro. “Six decades after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women working full-time or part-time still earn only 75 cents for every dollar earned by men. We’re in a cost-of-living crisis, and this must end. Equal pay for equal work is a simple concept—men and women in the same job deserve the same pay. It’s time to make this a reality for the millions of American women who are being unfairly undervalued in the workplace.”

The Paycheck Fairness Act would:

• Require employers to prove that pay disparities are for legitimate, job-related reasons, ensuring that employers must show any disparity is necessary and not sex-based.

• Ban retaliation against workers who discuss their wages.

• Remove obstacles in the Equal Pay Act, allowing workers to participate in class-action lawsuits that challenge systemic pay discrimination.

• Strengthen enforcement tools for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Labor, requiring employers—including federal contractors—to report compensation data.

• Provide businesses with resources to improve equal pay practices and recognize those that excel, as well as creating a program to empower women and girls with negotiation skills.

• Prohibit employers from seeking salary histories of prospective employees.

Throughout his career, Senator Coons has supported efforts to close the gender pay gap and ensure equal pay for equal work. He has cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act since its introduction.