[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 101 (Wednesday, July 10, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H7164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1145
            MINIMUM WAGE HELD HOSTAGE BY SENATE REPUBLICANS

  (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, yesterday the Senate passed the minimum 
wage. Normally it would be on its way to President Clinton for his 
signature and in a short time--Americans everywhere would be 
benefiting. But not in this Congress--unfortunately here the will of 
the American people is consistently being undermined.
  Eighty percent of the American people support a minimum wage 
increase, today we learn that Republicans in the Senate are holding the 
minimum wage hostage. According to Congress Daily, ``Coming off a 
defeat on a controversial pro-business amendment, Senate Republicans 
further jeopardized final approval of a minimum wage hike by 
threatening to block conference action unless Democrats unleash their 
grip on health care insurance reform legislation.''
  As my colleague before me said, they want to put in their special-
interest medical savings account into the health care bill. This sounds 
a lot like, ``If you do not play by my rules, then I am going to take 
my ball and go home.'' This is a refrain that is heard in sandboxes. It 
has no place in the U.S. Congress. The Senate needs to get out of the 
sandbox, pass the minimum wage today.

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