In this week’s address, President Obama says this is a year of action, and he will do everything he can to restore opportunity for all. The President already lifted the wages for federal contract workers, and he calls on the American people to tell Congress to finish the job by boosting the federal minimum wage for all workers to $10.10 and give America a raise.
Earlier this week, President Obama took the initiative by signing an order requiring that federal contractors pay their employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour. In this week’s weekly address, the president once again called on Congress to do their part for the American people and the economy, by raising the minimum wage.
But to finish the job, Congress needs to act. In the year since I first asked Congress to raise the minimum wage, six states have passed laws to raise theirs. More states, cities, counties, and companies are taking steps to join them. An overwhelming majority of Americans support raising a minimum wage that’s worth about 20% less than when Ronald Reagan took office.
Right now, there’s a bill in Congress that would boost America’s minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. That’s easy to remember: ten-ten. And remember, the average worker who would get a raise if Congress acts is about 35 years old. Most lower-wage jobs are held by women. And raising the minimum wage wouldn’t just raise their wages – its effect would lift wages for about 28 million Americans. It would lift millions of Americans out of poverty, and help millions more work their way out of poverty – without requiring a single dollar in new taxes or spending. It will give more businesses more customers with more money to spend – and that means growing the economy for everyone.
You can add Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., to the list of Republicans who oppose an increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $9.00 an hour.
In an interview on the Daily Rundown Thursday, Rep. Blackburn told Chuck Todd she was against the President’s proposal to up the minimum wage.
“I think that basically what the President is saying is ‘we want individuals to make more.’ I’m not for raising the minimum wage and I’ll tell you why, you’re going to exclude a lot of younger workers,” said Rep. Blackburn. “Why would you take a step that is going to make it difficult for employers to hire people?”
Blackburn’s announcement comes as President Obama continues to push a slew of politically popular initiatives this week with a stop at an Atlanta area pre-school to highlight his call for universal pre-k on Thursday, and a trip to Chicago—where gun control will likely be a major topic on Friday. The Tennessee Republican joins House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in speaking out against a minimum wage increase since the president’s announcement at the State of the Union on Tuesday.
