Michelle Lujan Grisham

Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico

Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 60 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico

Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Time is short, Mr. Speaker. March 1 is just a few hours away, and the Republicans refuse to bring forward a balanced plan to replace the meat-ax approach to governing known as sequestration. My constituents have been clear with me: We should stop the blame game, and we must stop this sequester from happening. New Mexicans are worried. They know what happens if we don't stop the sequester: More than 750,000 jobs are at risk just this year. Almost 10,000 New Mexicans won't be able to get the help and skills they need to find a job. Small businesses, the backbone of our economy, won't be able to get the loans that they need to expand and grow. Just in New Mexico, almost 7,000 civilian furloughs from the Defense Department, resulting in $42 million less in gross pay for those employees, forcing middle class families to deal with losses equal to one mortgage payment or more. Lastly, one of my State's and district's largest employers, Sandia National Laboratories, has implemented a hiring freeze. This move will stunt economic growth and be devastating to New Mexico's economy. I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 699, a balanced bill to replace the sequester with spending cuts and revenue.

Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico

Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which is being introduced today by its long-time champion, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. I am proud to join her and my colleagues in supporting this critical legislation which now protects women in the workforce by strengthening the Equal Pay Act by banning retaliation against workers who discuss their wages, helping employees challenge unequal pay and making available remedies for discriminatory practices. We all know that women make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. The number has been repeated often, especially in this House, which has passed Paycheck Fairness twice to correct this injustice. And in this tough economy, now more than ever before, women are the last line of economic defense for themselves and their children, working to keep a roof over their family's heads and food on the table. That is why we need the Paycheck Fairness Act without delay. It is time for the Congress to act and give women a fighting chance to receive fair pay for their hard work. It's time to get this legislation to the President's desk.