Sen. Amy Klobuchar is one of several Democratic presidential candidates decrying a pay disparity between male and female athletes, an issue championed by the U.S. women's national soccer team.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar joins 2020 candidates pushing for equal pay for female athletes
July 13, 2019 at 9:22PM
Klobuchar and fellow Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., sent a letter Thursday to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee chairman asking for a hearing to look into the gender pay gap across many sports.
"Following the [U.S. Women's National Team's] latest World Cup victory, a hearing would afford a timely opportunity for the Committee to recognize the importance of protecting and empowering athletes — while also examining the troubling pay disparities that have been highlighted in recent weeks," their letter stated.
Female senators, including Klobuchar and Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, sent a letter the previous day to the team's head coach inviting the squad to meet with them and talk about "the challenges women face on and off the field."
The women's soccer team sued the U.S. Soccer Federation in March, saying they have been more profitable than the men's team in recent years but are paid far less. After the team won its fourth World Cup last Sunday, many politicians threw their support behind the team's legal fight.
"#PayTheseWomen," Klobuchar tweeted the next day, with a link to a CNN story about the ongoing pay dispute.
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