WASHINGTON -- Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Ranking Member of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and committee member Don Beyer (D-VA) held a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol to celebrate Father's Day. They also released a list of 10 facts about American fathers, highlighting what they contribute to the U.S. economy and the challenges they face.

Ranking Member Maloney's statement at the press conference appears below:

Thank you all for coming out today, and especially now that it’s starting to rain. I know that my father, and I’m sure your fathers, would stand out in the rain for us so it’s only right we stand out in the rain for them. So thank you.

We’re getting a head start on Father’s Day, which as you all know is this Sunday. I hope your card to your dad is in the mail!

There are more than 70 million fathers in the United States, and I’m pleased to be standing here this morning with some outstanding ones.

To help kick off the celebration, my staff at the Joint Economic Committee put together 10 facts on fathers. These help to tell a story of the changing role of fathers – and mothers – in our society.

The days of the dad who works 9-5 and only sees his children nights and weekends are gone for many families.  And that’s a good thing.

Today, fathers are taking a more active role in raising their children and keeping a home.

Fathers now do twice as much as housework and childcare as back in 1967.

But, and this will come as no surprise to my female friends, it is still less than the time women spend on these same things. Still, it’s a step in the right direction.

While women are the primary caregivers for their children and aging parents, dads are more likely than in the past to stay at home to take care of their children.

And, like women, men are balancing their responsibilities at home with those at work.

The overwhelming majority of fathers with kids at home work full time. That was true 50 years ago – and it is true today.

In 2014, fathers earned roughly $2 trillion for their families.

But the unfortunate truth is—that number would be even larger if men’s median wages hadn’t been stagnant over the past several decades.

Many women entered the workforce, in part, to add to family earnings and to help make ends meet.

While wages have been stuck, the costs of child care, education and health care have increased. Most families need earnings from both mom and dad to pay the bills.

I want to close with a quick thought on paternity leave.

We know taking more paternity leave leads to greater involvement with children’s care down the road and to better outcomes for kids.

Ninety percent of fathers take some leave after the arrival of a child – that’s good. But only 13 percent are paid for this leave – that’s not good.

Part of that low number results from the expectation by employers that fathers should prioritize work over family. We need to change that.

But it’s also true that too many parents simply don’t have access to paid leave.

That’s why I have introduced the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act  – legislation that would provide six weeks of paid leave to federal employees for the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child.

In fact, many of America’s most profitable and successful companies are providing paid leave – and others should learn from their example.

Let’s not just give our fathers a tie this Father’s Day – let’s give all American fathers what they really want and deserve -- family-friendly policies that allow them to balance work and home.