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Statement of Administration Policy: S. 2223 - Minimum Wage Fairness Act

April 30, 2014


STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(Senate)

(Sen. Harkin, D-Iowa, 37 cosponsors)

The Administration strongly supports Senate passage of S. 2223, the Minimum Wage Fairness Act. This legislation would gradually raise the Federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour, and its effects would benefit more than 28 million hardworking Americans nationwide, the majority of whom are women.

No American who works full-time should live in poverty, yet a full-time worker making minimum wage only earns $14,500 a year. Furthermore, the Federal minimum wage has not kept pace with the rising costs of basic necessities for working families and today is worth about 20 percent less than it was in the early 1980s. In addition, because S. 2223 not only raises the Federal minimum wage but also indexes it to inflation and increases the tipped minimum wage, the legislation would ensure that minimum wage workers' pay keeps up with increased costs. Increasing the minimum wage not only helps earners, but also results in many businesses benefitting from increased worker productivity and reduced turnover. And a higher minimum wage can help boost the economy because studies show workers spend the extra dollars they earn at businesses in their communities.

Historically, Republicans and Democrats have worked together to raise the minimum wage. The Congress should act immediately to pass this legislation to reward hard work. The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress on this and other measures to continue to build real, lasting economic security for the middle class and create more opportunities for every hardworking American to get ahead.

Barack Obama, Statement of Administration Policy: S. 2223 - Minimum Wage Fairness Act Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/306032

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