DeLauro Joins Donovan and Murphy to Call on Congress to Raise the Federal Minimum Wage
DeLauro Joins Donovan and Murphy to Call on Congress to Raise the Federal Minimum Wage
Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) joined CT House Majority Leader Chris Donovan and Democratic candidate for Congress Chris Murphy to call for a new direction in Congress with policies that include raising the federal minimum wage. The federal minimum wage has been frozen at $5.15 since 1997. Nationally, household income is down nearly $1,300 from 2000 and employee compensation is at its lowest levels in 40 years.
"This economy is not producing rising living standards for most families," said DeLauro. "Raising the minimum wage is one of the best tools we have to keep families from falling off an economic cliff in this country. Yet when the House of Representatives had an opportunity to raise the minimum wage and increase the pay of 6.6 million workers, Republicans like Nancy Johnson blinked. They insisted on making any increase contingent upon passing a massive tax cut that would benefit 8,200 of the richest estates in the nation."
Today, a full time minimum wage worker still earns only $10,700 per year. Thirty-five percent of minimum wage workers are their families' sole earners, with more than 3 million children standing to benefit directly from an increase in the minimum wage. That does not take into account the 8.2 million additional workers who are in line to get a pay raise as well when the overall floor for compensation rises.
"Even as it torpedoed any chance of passing a minimum wage increase this year, this Republican Congress has shown no such reticence when it comes to giving themselves a raise, voting recently to raise Members' pay by another $3,300, the ninth Congressional pay raise since 1997," said DeLauro. "We need a new direction in Congress - one that raises living standards for America's families. Chris Murphy is the new direction."
In the 4 years after the last minimum wage increase, the American economy experienced its strongest growth in over 3 decades, with nearly 11 million new jobs added at a pace of 218,000 per month. In fact, between 1997 and 2003, small business employment grew more in states with a higher minimum wage than those with the federal minimum wage.
"This issue is one of values and opportunity, but above all else, priorities and morals. For us, raising the minimum wage is a moral issue," said DeLauro. "It is about recognizing Congress has an obligation to get to work so that the standard of living in America begins to rise for every family again."
DeLauro said that raising the minimum wage is only part of the solution. Democrats also stand ready to get rid of tax giveaways to millionaires and companies that send jobs overseas and replace them with fiscally responsible middle class tax cuts that make college tuition tax deductible, help first-time homebuyers and assist families paying for long-term care.
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