FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 07, 2006

CONTACT: Liz Packard (202) 225 - 3130

Hoyer Statement in Support of Democratic Effort To Increase Minimum Wage

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today regarding Democrats’ effort to force a vote to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25:

     “The time for an increase in the minimum wage is beyond past due.  Under the Bush Administration, the costs of health care, college tuition, and gasoline have skyrocketed, and the numbers of Americans living in poverty and without health insurance have reached record levels. Yet while all these costs to American families have increased, the minimum wage has not, leaving American workers with decreased purchasing power. This is unfair, unacceptable, and unhealthy for the American economy.

     “If Republicans truly believed in an ownership society, they would support an increase in the minimum wage that would allow American workers to be more active participants in the economy.  Instead, too many families are forced to choose between being able to heat their homes or put food on the table.  I call on Republicans to join us in this effort to create a fair, living wage for American workers through the Miller-Owens bill (H.R. 2429).  Republicans have kept the minimum wage frozen since 1997, and have left American workers out in the cold.”

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