Minimum Wage Increase

Floor Speech

Minimum Wage Increase

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, today the Federal minimum wage rises to $7.25 an hour. This Congress is proud that the previous Congress passed the minimum wage, and it went up in stair steps; and in these tough economic times, working people need help. They need help with all types of activities.

This will put $1,100 in the pockets of working people. That means money for groceries, for rent, for school supplies, moneys that will help with this economic recovery, $5.5 billion over the next 12 months.

One of the first votes I took in this Congress was to increase the minimum wage that had been held stagnant for decades. This will help 40,000 people in my district in Memphis and across the country.

This Congress should be proud of its support for working families, but sad that it took so long to get this minimum wage to where it is. We need to help the working people, and we need to make sure we make this country a better country with health insurance for all.

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