Media

Today, the Brookings Institution released a paper that ranks Miami, Florida, among the top ten U.S. cities with the highest levels of income inequality. Since 2007, Miami, much like other major cities, has experienced increased levels of income inequality due to marked declines in household incomes in the bottom 20th percentile in the past seven years.

Six years ago, Haiti was literally rocked to its core by an earthquake that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, displaced more than one million people and destroyed much of the nation's capital. The courage the Haitian people have displayed in the face of this and other adversities is truly admirable, but many obstacles remain on the path to recovery. Milestones like today's underscore why the upcoming election is so important. Haiti needs to complete its looming political agenda, which includes the election of a new president. The entire international community is watching.

Today marks the anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first piece of legislation that President Obama signed when he took office. Seven years later, however, equal pay has still not been achieved. Last year, women who worked fulltime earn just 79 cents for every dollar earned by men. African-American and Hispanic women earn 60 and 50 cents, respectively, per every dollar earned by white men.

"Every February, the nation celebrates the many accomplishments and contributions that African Americans have made to the United States. Black History Month also is a reminder that diversity is one of our country's greatest strengths.

"Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act. In a survey conducted in 2000, nearly 24 million workers took leave to manage work and family or personal medical issues, but just 15 million were covered and eligible under FMLA and could afford to take leave. According to recent statistics, since its enactment, the law has been used more than 200 million times and ensured that those workers did not have to choose between remaining employed and caring for a family member or themselves. That's good news.

On Tuesday, February 9, Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson will co-host with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee an Africa Policy Breakfast to examine and raise awareness about Boko Haram's regional impact and growing threat to Nigeria and the border nations of Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Benin.

President Obama's newly released Fiscal Year 2017 federal budget request for the Department of Labor rejects a proposal to cut benefits under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) for federal civilian workers injured or killed on the job.