    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [March 30, 1996]
    [Pages 526-528]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    March 30, 1996

        Good morning. Today I want to talk to you about what we can do to
    make sure that working Americans have the chance to make the most of
    their own lives, to raise their children in security, and to become
    winners in economic change. I want to talk about something very simple
    we can do to help our hardest pressed working families: Raise the
    minimum wage.
        Our Nation is living through a time of great change, our greatest
    economic transformation

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    since 100 years ago when so many Americans moved from farm to factory.
    Now we're all moving into an age of information and technology and
    global trade. Four years ago our economy was drifting, with high
    unemployment, a deficit twice as high as it is now, and few new jobs. I
    took office determined to change our course, to cut the deficit in half
    in 4 years, invest in education and training, expand exports through
    tough trade agreements like the ones that opened Japan to our autos and
    auto parts, and to shrink and reform the Government so that it works
    better and costs less. It's now the smallest it's been since 1965, but
    still strong enough to protect workplace safety, pure food, clean air
    and water, to help Americans get the education they need, to grow the
    economy, and to protect our seniors through Medicare.
        In 1992, I told the American people that if we implemented our
    economic plan, two things would happen: we'd get 8 million jobs, and the
    deficit would be cut in half. Well, last month we learned that our
    economy has already created 8.4 million jobs, nearly all of them in the
    private sector since 1993. And now, in 1995 and 1996, over half of the
    jobs coming into the economy are in high-wage industries. And just
    yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office certified that by the end of
    this year the deficit will be less than half of what it was when I took
    office. Over 8 million jobs, the deficit cut in half: two important
    commitments kept to the American people.
        We've also got the lowest rates of unemployment and inflation
    combined in 27 years, record numbers of new small businesses. Our auto
    and telecommunications industries now lead the world. We've got a 15-
    year high in homeownership. And finally we have halted the decade-long
    slide in real hourly earnings. But this is a record to build on, not to
    sit on.
        As I said in my State of the Union, one of the main challenges we
    face is to make sure that this new economy with all of its opportunity
    doesn't leave people behind who are willing to work for their
    opportunities. We've got to make sure that every American has the
    education and training, the health care, the pensions to be secure in
    this time of change, and that if they change jobs, they can take their
    health care and their pensions with them.
        And we have to get wages rising again in this country for working
    people. We've got to make sure that our lowest paid workers keep up.
    That's why in 1993 I cut taxes for working people on modest incomes
    through the earned-income tax credit, giving tax benefits to 15 million
    working Americans, a downpayment on a strong commitment that no one who
    works full time and has children in the home should live in poverty. And
    that is why we must make sure the minimum wage is a living wage.
        Today the minimum wage is $4.25 an hour. Over many years, both
    political parties have worked together to make sure it keeps up with the
    cost of living. In 1989, the current leaders of both the House and the
    Senate joined together with Democrats and Republicans to raise the
    minimum wage. It went fully into effect exactly 5 years ago this Monday.
        But since then, the minimum wage has stayed unchanged while the cost
    of living goes up. This year if Congress doesn't raise the minimum wage,
    it will drop in value to a 40-year low. That's why I proposed last year
    that the Congress increase the minimum wage from $4.25 an hour to $5.15
    an hour. For a parent working full time, this 90-cent-an-hour increase
    would help pay for groceries for 7 months, or 4 months of rent, or
    months of child care. Tens of millions of Americans would benefit, 70
    percent of them adults. These are among our hardest working people--6
    out of 10 of them are working women, many trying to raise children and
    hold their families together; others are just getting started in the
    work force, trying to get a hold on the first rung in the ladder--all of
    them trying hard to do the right thing, to work. Raising the minimum
    wage would honor both work and family. We should not leave behind anyone
    who is willing to work hard as our country moves forward.
        Now, a majority of the Senators support an increase in the minimum
    wage. But the Republican leadership of the Senate has refused to allow
    the minimum wage even to come up for a vote. In fact, you need to know
    that a Member of Congress who refuses to allow the minimum wage to come
    up for a vote made more money during last year's one-month Government
    shutdown than a minimum wage worker makes in an entire year. Over the
    past 5 years, while the minimum wage has been stuck at $4.25 an hour, a
    Senator's salary has gone up by a third. That is wrong.
        I challenge the Republican leadership to stop blocking a vote and
    let the majority rule. Pass an increase in the minimum wage. And Con-

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    gress should vow that the next time they want to raise their own pay,
    they ought to raise the minimum wage, too. We hear a lot of talk in
    Washington these days about old-fashioned family values. Well, it's hard
    to raise a family on $4.25 an hour, but millions of Americans are out
    there struggling to do it.
        Now, we can do the right thing and create jobs and grow our economy.
    This is really an age of remarkable possibility for our Nation. More of
    our people will have the chance to live out their dreams than ever
    before. But we need to make sure that every American can become a winner
    in this time of economic change. If we don't want to grow apart as a
    people, we have to do the things that will enable us to grow together.
    Think about it. Support raising the minimum wage.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Oval Office at the
    White House.