Leading House Democrats Urge 48 Republicans to "Back Up Words with Action" on the Minimum Wage
Leading House Democrats Urge 48 Republicans to "Back Up Words with Action" On the Minimum Wage
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (MD), Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Democrat George Miller (CA), Representatives Leonard Boswell (D-IA) and John Barrow (D-GA), sent a letter today to the 48 House Republicans who signed a letter in July asking their leadership to schedule a vote on the minimum wage.
The letter urges those members to "stop this charade" on minimum wage. It reminds them that they have "the ability to take action on this important issue by signing the discharge petition that would force consideration of H.R. 2429. H.R. 2429 would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour over two years."
The full text of the letter follows. To read the July letter to Majority Leader Boehner, click here.
Dear Colleague:
Despite overwhelming support among the American people and broad support in Congress for a long-overdue increase in the federal minimum wage, your leadership still refuses to permit a straight up-or-down vote on a modest increase in the minimum wage.
Instead, your leaders are holding an increase in the federal minimum wage hostage by tying it to contentious provisions that ensure its demise. That, of course, is exactly what happened when the so-called "trifecta" bill was defeated in July. Even today, news reports indicate that your leadership is looking again for extraneous provisions to attach to a minimum wage increase rather than bringing a free-standing minimum wage bill to the Floor.
We urge you to join us to stop this charade. You have publicly stated your support for a minimum wage increase. And you have the ability to take action on this important issue by signing the discharge petition that would force consideration of H.R. 2429. H.R. 2429 would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour over two years. With 192 signatures on the discharge petition, we are close to having the 218 signatures needed to bring this legislation to the Floor for a vote.
Please do not allow the minimum wage to be used as a political pawn. Allowing an up-or-down vote on this issue is a matter of doing what is right and fair for millions of hardworking Americans.
With Congress in Session only one more week, we ask you to stand up for the working people of your District, to demonstrate to your constituents that your support for an increase is sincere, and to join Democrats in allowing the House to work its will on this important issue.
Please back up your words with action, and sign the discharge petition today.
http://democraticwhip.house.gov/in_the_news/press_releases/index.cfm?pressReleaseID=1554