Tom Waring, the Wire
Boyle voted for the 2016 House Democratic budget, titled “Economic Opportunity for Americans Working Hard to Get Ahead.”
“This budget puts hard-working American families first,” he said. “The top priority of the House Democratic budget is the American people. It will boost the economy, create more broadly shared prosperity, make critical investments in our future, and keep our promises to seniors — making sure all Americans, not just the wealthy and well-connected, benefit from our growing economy.
“The House Democratic budget enables us to make key investments in our national infrastructure and create good-paying jobs here in America. It achieves bigger paychecks through tax policies that help the middle class and those working their way into the middle class, and makes needed investments in our future — to create jobs for those still seeking work, to educate our children and prepare them for success, and to sharpen the nation’s competitive edge. Furthermore, it accomplishes these goals while putting the federal budget on a fiscally responsible path, with debt declining as a share of the economy.”
Republicans and some Democrats voted against the bill because it raises taxes and spending and is not balanced.
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In other news, Boyle joined Connecticut Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro in reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would help close the wage gap between women and men working the same jobs.
According to supporters of the legislation, women make 78 cents for every dollar made by a man.
“Equal pay for equal work should be a priority for everyone, regardless of gender,” Boyle said. “Unequal pay is not just a problem for women, it’s also a problem for families, who are trying to pay their bills, trying to get ahead, trying to achieve the American Dream, and are getting a smaller paycheck than they have earned for their hard work. The Paycheck Fairness Act will help the Equal Pay Act fulfill its intended objective, offer real protections to ensure equal pay for equal work, and see that women are paid the same as the other half of our nation’s workforce for the same job.”
Opponents of the bill discount the 78-cent figure, pointing out that studies do not consider variables such as education level, total hours worked, type of work and job tenure.
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Boyle, observing the fifth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, said hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians are benefiting from the landmark health care law.
“Over the last five years since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, millions of Americans have been seeing the benefits of the law, including lower costs and better coverage,” he said. “This includes hundreds of thousands of people right here in Pennsylvania.”
Boyle said the law has improved coverage because it prohibits denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions. He also noted that health care prices have risen at the slowest rate in almost 50 years. And he said there have been fewer patient deaths in hospitals due to infections, medication errors and other avoidable harms.
“Republicans continue to call for the complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the economic security it is providing American families while providing no viable alternative,” Boyle said. “Instead, we should all be working together to successfully implement the law.”
