President Biden says closing gender pay gap is ‘a moral imperative’ as House passes Paycheck Fairness Act

President Biden says closing gender pay gap is ‘a moral imperative’ as House passes Paycheck Fairness Act

Biden added that a full passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act by Congress would address the wage gap by "closing loopholes that have allowed employers to justify gender pay disparities, strengthening provisions for holding employers accountable for systemic pay discrimination, and helping level the playing field for women and people of color by making it easier for workers to challenge pay disparities as a group."

"I applaud the House of Representatives for passing the Paycheck Fairness Act," President Joe Biden said in a statement released by the White House. "Closing the gender pay gap is more than just an economic imperative “” it's a moral imperative as well."

The bill, which was reintroduced by House Democrats in January, has been met with opposition from some business groups who say it could threaten bonuses, prohibit employees from negotiating higher pay and make it easier for "trial lawyers to file large class-action suits against employers." However, many workplace and gender experts have argued in favor of the bill, emphasizing that it could be a key step to achieving equal pay for women.

The Paycheck Fairness Act, which aims to eliminate the gender pay gap and strengthen workplace protections for women, passed the House of Representatives