[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 17, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H3495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 AMERICANS SUPPORT RAISING MINIMUM WAGE

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, congressional Republicans are using every 
single trick in the book to block a vote on raising the minimum wage in 
this country a mere 90 cents, even though the minimum wage is at a 40-
year low.
  Yesterday Senate Republicans used a procedural maneuver to dodge 
raising the minimum wage. They march in lockstep with Speaker Gingrich 
and his leadership team, who have been blocking every single effort to 
bring up a vote in this body on raising the minimum wage.

                              {time}  1115

  It is only the latest example of how Speaker Gingrich and his 
Republican leadership are out of step with the mainstream of this 
country. They, in fact, wanted to give a $245 billion tax break to the 
richest Americans in this country, to give the richest corporations in 
this country a $17 billion windfall, but they do not in fact want to 
see the minimum wage raised by 90 cents.
  The New York Times said today that 84 percent of the U.S. folks are 
for an increase in the minimum wage. Today 13 House Republicans, to 
their credit, will break ranks with their leadership to join those of 
us who said let us increase the minimum wage. Let us do that for the 
hard-working, responsible Americans in this country. Let us give them 
an increase in their salaries.

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