IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 29 
Expressing the sense of Congress that female athletes be paid the same 
as their male counterparts and organizers of world-class competitions 
actively take part in combating the wage gap. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 2, 2019 
Ms. CASTOR of Florida (for herself, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Ms. 
DELAURO, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, and Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD) sub-
mitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Labor 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that female athletes be 
paid the same as their male counterparts and organizers 
of world-class competitions actively take part in com-
bating the wage gap. 
Whereas Congress supports the United States Women’s Na-
tional Team (USWNT) filing a Federal lawsuit against 
the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for ongoing 
Federation policies and practices as systemic gender dis-
crimination, including travel conditions, promotion of 
games, and coaching and medical staff; 
Whereas for the sake of honest, transparent and equitable 
competition, the United States should be the leader in re-
form efforts and women’s soccer can be a key; 
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•HCON 29 IH 
Whereas the USSF must elevate female soccer teams and fe-
male leaders to provide opportunities for girls and 
women; 
Whereas the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has 
a pay ceiling per player of just $37,800; 
Whereas that’s compared to an average of more than 
$300,000 and a median of about $100,000 for men’s 
Major League Soccer; 
Whereas each team in the NWSL has a salary cap of just 
$265,000—compared to more than $3 million for men; 
Whereas the USWNT, as international soccer players rep-
resenting the Federation, perform the same duties as the 
Men’s National Team players, but spend more time play-
ing, practicing, traveling and participating in media ses-
sions; 
Whereas the USWNT played 19 more times than the Men’s 
National Team from 2015 to 2018; 
Whereas the team is the most successful in international 
women’s soccer, winning 3 Women’s World Cup titles (in-
cluding the first ever Women’s World Cup in 1991), 4 
Olympic women’s gold medals (including the first ever 
Olympic women’s soccer tournament in 1996), 8 
CONCACAF Gold Cup wins, and 10 Algarve Cups; 
Whereas the USSF ‘‘continually rejected’’ the USWNT’s re-
quest for equal pay and in 2012 offered to compensate 
players only if they won games against International 
Federation of Association Football (FIFA) ranked top 10 
teams, but not for losing or tying matches, nor for beat-
ing teams outside the top 10 of world rankings; 
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Whereas the lawsuit states that in 2016, a representative of 
the USSF said ‘‘market realities are such that the 
women do not deserve to be paid equally to the men.’’; 
Whereas the USWNT is subject to matches on inferior sur-
faces at a rate far in excess of that required of Men’s 
National Team players; and 
Whereas USSF arranged charter flights for the Men’s Na-
tional Team at least 17 times in 2017 but did not do so 
once for the women: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that female 
athletes should be paid the same as their male counter-
parts and organizers of world-class competitions actively 
take part in combating the wage gap. 
Æ 
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