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Exactly 45 years ago today, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, recognizing that the right to equal pay for equal work is a fundamental value.

The Equal Pay Act was a first step in addressing the disparity between what women and men earn, but it must not be the last. Women still earn 77 cents for every dollar men make, and the Supreme Court recently ruled to deny a woman redress after the fact in a case of pay discrimination, contrary to the intent of Congress.

As families grapple with the difficulties of gas prices, food prices, and the credit crisis, equal pay for equal work is an economic issue for millions. When a woman is not paid fairly, her entire family suffers. And when a woman is not paid fairly, it does not afford women the respect and equality that they deserve in a country that promises to strive for equal opportunity.

Washington, D.C. -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today in response to Senate Republicans blocking consideration of the Consumer-First Energy Act and the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008:

"Senate Republicans have once again shown themselves to be unwilling to break free of the costly, failed Bush energy policies of the past. They have again adopted President Bush's 'drill and veto' policy that is driving up the price of oil, diesel, and gasoline and leaving us dangerously reliant on Middle East oil.

"President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Senate Republicans have shown no leadership on energy issues for seven years, which is why we face a growing energy crisis. If Republicans will not lead us to a cleaner, more independent energy future for America then they should at least get out of the way.

The Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight is currently holding a hearing, "Diplomatic Assurances and Rendition to Torture: The Perspective of the State Department's Legal Adviser." State Department Legal Adviser John B. Bellinger will testify.

Watch the hearing live >>

From the Judiciary Committee:

Conyers Invites McClellan to Testify June 20th

(Washington, DC)- Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) invited former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan to testify before the Committee at a June 20th hearing about reported efforts to cover up the role of the White House in the Valerie Plame leak as described in his recent book, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception.

Today Chairman Henry Waxman and Ranking Member Tom Davis of the Oversight Committee issued a proposed Committee report on White House contacts with Jack Abramoff that concludes that Mr. Abramoff had personal contact with President Bush, that high-level White House officials held Mr. Abramoff and his associates in high regard and solicited recommendations from them on policy matters, that Mr. Abramoff and his associates influenced some White House actions, and that Mr. Abramoff and his associates offered White House officials expensive tickets and meals. On Thursday, June 12, at 10:00 a.m., in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building, the Committee will hold a business meeting to mark up the proposed Committee report.