Vice Presidential Pool Reports of March 15, 2022

VP Pool Report #1- event

Vice President Harris entered the south court auditorium at 3:01pm for the Equal Pay Day summit.
Jennifer Klein, co chair of the White House Gender Policy Council introduced her.

Event is being livestreamed at https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

Details from the VP guidance—

At 3:00PM EST, the Vice President will host the White House Equal Pay Day Summit, where she will deliver remarks. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja, and Co-Chair of the White House Gender Policy Council Jen Klein will also deliver remarks. These remarks in South Court Auditorium will be pooled press.

At 3:25PM EST, the Vice President will participate in a conversation with current and former members of the United States Women’s National Team at the Equal Pay Day Summit. This conversation in South Court Auditorium will be pooled press.

VP Pool Report #2- remarks

Harris spoke for 8 minutes. She left the stage and then Labor Sec Walsh took the stage to deliver remarks.
Former and current members of the US Womens Soccer Team are in the audience, names below.

Some quotes from Harris:

"I'll begin with a simple truth, our economy just has not been working as it should for the women of our nation"
"Today on average, working women who are working full time year-round make just 83 cents for every dollar that a man makes."
"As one must recognize, lower wages means working women have less money."
"For so many women, the gender wage gap acts as a virtual tax"
She said the wage gap is "not just a moral issue, it's also a business one"

Harris said that President Biden will sign an EO aimed to limit the use of salary history in employment decisions for federal contractors.

"Pay transparency creates accountability and accountability, well, that drives progress"
"We can build a more fair, more efficient, and more equitable economy."

Passing along—
On background from a WH Official:

Vice President Harris is meeting with and holding a conversation with the U.S Women's National Soccer Team.

- Margaret Purce, U.S. Women's National Team player
- Briana Scurry, former U.S. Women's National Team player
- Cindy Parlow Cone, President, U.S. Soccer Federation & former U.S. Women's National Team player
- Julie Foudy, former U.S. Women's National Team player
- Kelley O'Hara, U.S. Women's National Team player

And more to pass along --

On background from WH Official:

President Biden and Vice President Harris have long championed equal pay as a cornerstone of their commitment to ensuring all people have a fair and equal opportunity to get ahead. Today at 3:00 PM ET, the Vice President will lead an Equal Pay Day Summit, which will be hosted by the Gender Policy Council. The Summit will bring together partners across the country who are taking critical steps to tackle pay discrimination, create good-paying jobs, and support families' access to care. She will also participate in a conversation with the United States Women's National Soccer Team. Tune in live at whitehouse.gov/live.

Additionally, today the Biden-Harris Administration announced new actions to promote women's employment and support working families across the country. Here are some highlights:

• The Office of Personnel Management announced that they anticipate issuing a proposed regulation that will address the use of prior salary history in the hiring and pay-setting process for Federal employees,
• President Biden will sign an Executive Order directing the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to consider limiting the use of salary information in employment decisions by federal contractors, and
• The Department of Labor released a report analyzing the impact of occupational segregation on women's economic security.

Read more on the White House Fact Sheet.

Additional Background:
The Vice President has a long record addressing pay equity:

• As California Attorney General, the Vice President supported the Fair Pay Act, which strengthened the state's Equal Pay Act by making it illegal for employers to pay workers of different sexes different wages for similar work. The bill was signed into law in 2015.
• During her time in the Senate, the Vice President co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act, which requires employers to show that pay differences are not due to gender, and cracks down on employers who break the rules or punish employees who seek to be paid equally.
• She also introduced the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act, which, among other things, would have advanced common workplace rights to domestic workers and created new workplace protections.

VP Pool Report #3- panel

Pool was ushered out of the room for about 12 minutes and then returned.

The 5 soccer players were seated with Harris on stage and Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan joined the conversation virtually.

Harris asked Kelley O'Hara about the fight they had to reach the settlement. O'Hara said they were fighting for equal pay, as well as equal treatment.

Harris applauded Cindy Parlow Cone for being re-elected president of the US Soccer Federation.

Briana Scurry said she still considers USWNT her team, and others agreed.
"I consider it my team too," Harris said and the group laughed.

Harris asked about what the risks of the lawsuit was and Scurry said having your name on a legal document creates extra work on top of playing and winner soccer games.

Harris:
"To require that that would take a lawsuit… means that she's gotta do her job everyday, whatever that job is and whatever that industry is, and deal with a lawsuit"
"The vulnerability to put your name on a legal document… all because you want to get paid equal pay for equal work and what that requires of that woman, beyond doing a good job… it's a subtle but important point."

Harris asked Rapinoe about lessons for women in other industries from their experience and Rapinoe (who was muted for a second) said connecting stories with other women will lead to more success.
Rapinoe: "To just say, Madam Vice President... I think it just speaks to a changing landscape that we're all part of"

Harris asked Morgan, who was wearing a jersey and just got off the field, to compare fighting for equal pay and fighting on the soccer team.

The event ended at 3:58pm.

Please check all quotes.