[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20061]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE

  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, 
for 10 years the Republicans have kept hardworking Americans away from 
an increase in the minimum wage. Over 7 million people who get up in 
the morning every day and go to work, all day long, all week long, all 
month long and all year long, and at the end of that year they end up 
in poverty. At the end of that year they end up with the inability to 
provide for their families.
  For 10 years, the Republicans have fought an increase in the minimum 
wage. For 10 years the Republicans have made it official policy of this 
country that people who get up and go to work every day will end up in 
poverty. It is a poverty wage. And the Republicans are proud of it. The 
majority leader boasts that he has fought this his entire public life, 
and yet these people are stuck at 1950 wages.
  But what is not stuck at 1950 is the price of groceries, the price of 
gasoline to go to work, the price of housing, and the price of health 
care. There is no relief for these hardworking Americans. There is no 
relief for their families because the Republicans refuse to entertain a 
clean vote on the minimum wage. A clean vote, so 7 million Americans 
could start to have an increase in their yearly take-home pay. That is 
what the Republicans refuse.
  There is 72 hours left in this session. The Republicans can decide to 
do the decent thing, to provide a minimum wage increase for hardworking 
Americans. But the Republicans won't do that because they are not a 
party of decency. They have chosen to put these people into poverty and 
to keep them in poverty year after year after year. Yet they have 
chosen to have eight pay raises for Members of Congress at the same 
time they have chosen to keep hardworking Americans in poverty.
  That's what the Republicans promise hardworking Americans, you end up 
in poverty.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's time has expired.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
to take up H.R. 2429, the Fair Minimum Wage Act.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the guidelines consistently issued by 
successive Speakers, as recorded on page 734 of the House Rules Manual, 
the Chair is constrained not to entertain the gentleman's request until 
it has been cleared by the bipartisan floor and committee leaderships.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Once again, the Republicans block a 
vote on the minimum wage.

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