[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11995]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      DEMOCRATS REFUSE TO IGNORE THE NEEDS OF LOW-INCOME AMERICANS

  (Mr. HINOJOSA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, this week was supposed to finally have a 
vote on increasing the minimum wage for more than 7 million Americans. 
Unfortunately, it appears the Republican leadership is willing to delay 
a vote on the must-pass Labor-HHS appropriations bill rather than 
actually have a real floor debate and a vote on the minimum wage.
  This is a real disservice to every American. An increase in the 
minimum wage does not only benefit the minimum-wage workers, it also 
helps millions of middle-class workers who would also see their hourly 
wages increase as a result of a higher minimum wage.
  But this is also a question of fairness. It has been 9 years since 
the minimum-wage workers last received a pay raise. Does that sound 
fair? Today the minimum wage is its lowest level if you take into 
account inflation. Do my Republican colleagues really believe that we 
should continue to force more than 7 million Americans to live on less 
than $11,000 a year? That may have been a liveable wage 10 years ago, 
but it surely isn't now. We should do the right thing and expand 
economic opportunity to millions of Americans who are just trying to 
make a living wage.

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