U.S. Women's World Cup Victory

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, let me congratulate the U.S. Women's National Team on winning the World Cup yesterday. It is the second title in a row and fourth overall, the most for any nation. Boy, did they make us proud.

The team's sustained level of excellence is something for all of us to exult in, to be proud of, as are the heart, skill, and sheer joy the U.S. women bring to the pitch. As they make their way home, I send them my congratulations, my thanks, and a formal invitation for the team to come to the Upper Chamber for a celebration as they visit our Nation's Capital. It would be my honor to host America's winning team.

I want to send a special congratulations to the New Yorkers on the team, Allie Long and Crystal Dunn, the latter of whom made a crucial tackle in the final, leading to our second and decisive goal in the final period. New York is proud of them both, as well as the entire roster.

While today we celebrate their victory, we also recognize that these women athletes have challenges and they make us really think about the future of women's sports. They make us grapple with the deep unfairness in how female athletes are treated and paid compared to their male counterparts. Similarly, it is an unfortunate reality that women in the workforce see their male colleagues paid significantly more for the same work.

We have come a long way in terms of the prominence of and support for women's sports over the past decade, but we have not come nearly far enough. Every young girl who has had to play on weeknights instead of weekends because that is when the boys play, who has had to accept older equipment because the boys got the new stuff, who has had to play on the other field or rink or court because the boys were using the main one--every girl who has gone through that knows this to be true. As a parent of two girls who played soccer, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse, I know this to be true.

I think when it comes to U.S. women, it is absolutely right to be talking about their pay right now. They have shone a light on the fact that, in our society, women are simply not treated fairly because of their gender. Something needs to change here. What the U.S. women did was extraordinary, and they deserve to be compensated fairly. All women need to be compensated fairly, period. We ought to pay attention to this not just once every 4 years during the World Cup, but year in and year out.

How about the equal payment amendment that the House has passed? Why don't we put it on the floor of the Senate in honor of the women who won the World Cup? Why don't we do that, Leader McConnell?

I am sure there will be lots of encomia from the other side about these women. Let's act so we can help all women achieve equality--equal work, equal pay.

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