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Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) supported increasing the minimum wage for more than 6.6 million American workers today. The legislation, H.R. 2, is the second piece of legislation passed during the Democrats First 100 Hours Agenda. The New Jersey congressman issued the following statement in support of the legislation.
"Finally, the House of Representatives has stood up for more than six million Americans who have been left behind for far too long. For the past nine years, Republican Congresses refused to give millions of hardworking Americans a much needed and much deserved raise.
"While housing, food, education, energy and health care costs have risen well beyond the rate of inflation, Republican Congresses continued to force minimum wage workers to make due on $10,700 a year. Thanks to their neglect the minimum wage was at its lowest percentage of purchasing power in fifty years.
"Democrats made increasing the minimum wage a cornerstone of the election last year and today we delivered with a strong bipartisan vote in the House. I hope that the Senate will act quickly so that we can send this legislation to the president's desk and give these workers a raise that they should have received years ago." |
