Murray: "Are Republicans Really Going to Block Giving 15 million American Women a Raise?"

Statement

"I know that there is a limited amount of time, and there a lot of my colleagues here to speak, so I just want to ask one important question that that I hope all of you will follow up on over the course of the next month.

"And that is: Are Republicans really going to block giving 15 million American women a raise?

"Are they really prepared to tell 1 in 4 working women in America that $7.25 an hour -- enough for about two gallons of gas - is enough for them to support themselves and their kids?

"Are they prepared to do that at a time when more and more women are depended upon as the sole income earners in American families?

"And if they are, what does blocking a minimum wage increase say about their priorities when it comes to American women?

"Because telling American women that they don't deserve a living wage isn't about "tone" or how they talk about women's issues - it's about what they do -- it's about policy.

"So my hope is that over the next month, our Republican colleagues do a little soul searching as they prepare for this vote.

"I hope they talk to the millions of American women, who like my own mother when I was growing up, are the sole breadwinners and caregivers in their families.

"And I hope they get a sense of how $7.25 an hour today translates to a grocery trip for a family of four, or to shopping for school supplies, or even how it impacts making the daily commute.

"And then when they return here I hope they have a good explanation if they plan to oppose this.

"Because American women aren't focused on how they are talking, they are interested in what they're actually saying."

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