*By Madison Alworth*
New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney wants women to stop paying more than men for products.
"Today my office issued a report on the 'pink tax.' This report shows, not only are we 80 cents to the dollar with the 20 percent discrimination in pay, but that we pay more for other products," said Maloney, who represents New York's 12th Congressional District, in an interview on Cheddar Tuesday.
The congresswoman was at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate Women's Equality Day, which marks the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.
The new ["Earn Less, Pay More"](https://maloney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ahead-of-women-s-equality-day-maloney-casey-release-earn-less-pay-more) report highlights research by the [Government Accountability Office](https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-500). The report found that half of the personal care items studied sported higher price tags for the women's version.
The issue extends beyond just personal care.
"We did see a discrepancy in how men and women were treated in mortgages, buying cars, financing, interest on their loans, even access to loans," Maloney said. "This needs to be addressed. Why should you be paid less and then have to turn around and pay more?"
Maloney hopes businesses will react proactively to her report and adjust prices so men and women pay the same amount.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/congresswoman-carolyn-maloney-fights-for-womens-equality).
The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin openly invaded the neighboring country of Ukraine on Thursday following weeks of overtures and discussions on keeping an incursion from happening. David Salvo, the deputy director for the Alliance for Securing Democracy, joined Cheddar to go into the Russian leader's motivations. "What I'm sure he understands is that his invasion of Ukraine in 2014 probably ended the discussion of Ukraine joining NATO, even if publicly we won't admit that, that's just the reality. And I'm sure that President Putin understands that," he said, noting that Putin could be using the taking of Ukraine territory as leverage to gain more security concessions from the West.
Following Russia's incursion into Ukraine, the U.S. is warning businesses and major banks to brace themselves for cyberattacks. Lester Munson, a senior fellow at the National Security Institute, joined Cheddar News to break down what this means for financial institutions “So we need to be concerned about not just intentional Russian hacks against American entities but also what Russia is doing in Ukraine. Those things can impact us as well," he said
After weeks of talks and posturing in hopes of staving off an attack, Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, an incident that has already impacted the global economy, including the U.S.. Jason McMann, head of geopolitical risk analysis for Morning Consult, joined Cheddar’s Closing Bell to break down what investors might do to prepare themselves as the crisis continues. "I think there are a few things that we have our eye on over at Morning Consult that could cause the situation to become a bit more severe or unstable as far as market outcomes would be concerned," McMann said. "One of those things would be if the U.S. and the EU kind of moved in concerted fashion to block Russia from the SWIFT transaction system. So, I would say that's one thing that would be worth keeping an eye on."
Alex Walker, candidate for Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, joins Cheddar News to discuss why he's running against Lauren Boebert and the inspiration behind his viral campaign ad.
Lisa Hagen, politics reporter for U.S. News and World Report, joins Cheddar News to preview what to expect from President Biden's State of the Union Address on March 1.
