Camden, NJ-Rep. Donald Norcross (NJ-01) today marked Equal Pay Day by demanding Congress pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which he cosponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“It’s sad that this day even exists on the calendar. But, the terrible truth is that today marks the 103 extra days the average American woman has to work to earn as much as the average man did the year before. That’s not right. Women shouldn’t have to play ‘catch up’ to the men in 2016,” said Rep. Norcross.

In addition to recent repeated calls that Congress pass of the Paycheck Fairness Act, Rep. Norcross last month introduced an amendment in the House Budget Committee that would enact the Act and help the U.S. Department of Labor identify instances of pay discrimination. Norcross’ amendment would also help women who are victims of pay discrimination get a fair hearing in court.

Today, Rep. Norcross was joined by Camden Mayor Dana Redd, New Jersey State Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez, New Jersey Assemblywoman Patricia Jones, Camden County Freeholders Carmen Rodriguez & Susan Shin Angulo, Carol Cohen, New Jersey president of the American Association of University Women, Phoebe Haddon, Chancellor of Rutgers University-Camden, and members of the Rutgers University-Camden Women’s Soccer team calling for an end to this injustice.

A high-profile case of alleged paycheck discrimination recently renewed calls for pay equity. Through an attorney, Olympic gold medal winner & South Jersey native Carli Lloyd & other members of the U.S. Women’s National (soccer) Team (USWNT) filed a federal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), asserting they get paid only 40% of what U.S. Soccer pays their male counterparts.

“This appears to be another flagrant case of pay discrimination. It happens to women every day in this country and I’m glad Carli and her teammates are bringing international attention to the unfair treatment of hardworking women,” said Rep. Norcross. “Women shouldn’t take home less money for doing the same work as a man. The professional soccer field needs to be a level playing field for pay, regardless of gender. Let’s show wage discrimination the ‘red card’ once and for all.”

This week, Rep. Norcross is joining Congressional colleagues sending a letter to the U.S. Soccer Federation, demanding answers about alleged pay discrimination. Last month, Rep. Norcross signed a joint letter from House members to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, supporting the EEOC’s proposal to collect wage data from employers to help identify instances of pay discrimination.

“Carli Lloyd brought home Olympic gold & World Cup victories to South Jersey and the United States. She and her teammates have made our country proud on the international sports stage. And how do we show our appreciation? By paying them less. That’s wrong. It needs to change. And I’m proud to lead that change,” said Rep. Norcross.

Rep. Norcross’ legislation and amendment have the support of women’s advocacy groups, including the American Association of University Women.

After today’s news conference, Carli Lloyd sent the following message on Twitter: “Thank you for the support!”

Follow coverage of Rep. Norcross’ push for pay equity on Twitter and share your own pay equity tweets using the hashtags: #EqualPayDay #Equal Pay

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Congressman Donald Norcross is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Budget Committee, and serves as Assistant Whip in the 114^th Congress.