Why We Need To Increase The Minimum Wage

With rising gas prices and American workers losing their jobs to illegal aliens it's imperative we do all we can to fight for the American worker and ensure them a fair minimum wage. That's why I was pleased to vote this week to instruct House conferees to include language in Senate bill S250 to increase the minimum wage to no less than $7.25 an hour. I'm also proud to be the co-sponsor of House bill, H.R. 3413, which would increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.15 by 2007. I know increasing the minimum wage will be a fight, but it's one worth fighting for. Congress has not raised the federal minimum wage in almost ten years and every day the minimum wage is not increased, it loses value to inflation. I encourage the Senate and House conferees to quickly come to a consensus on SR250 and include in it an increase in the federal minimum wage.