Chris Ward: “let me say first for the record that the buying power of the minimum wage is the lowest it has been in 40 years. To deny…”

“let me say first for the record that the buying power of the minimum wage is the lowest it has been in 40 years. To deny an increase in the minimum wage is reprehensible. Mr. Speaker, today I have risen to speak as we approach Earth Day, a day that Americans across the country come together to focus on the environment. I would like to call attention to the atrocious environmental record that the Republican majority has created. At a time when the EPA estimates that nearly 40 percent of the Nation's waters are unfit for fishing and swimming, we would think that clean water would be a priority. However, Mr. Speaker, the so-called Clean Water Act that the Republican majority passed last year, written mostly by corporate polluters, would create waivers and exemptions from previously established basic standards for our rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans. In short, protecting our environment means protecting our future. We have been entrusted to provide a future of clean air, lush forests, and clean water for our children and our children's children. Legislation which protects our planet should be a priority, not the Republican majority's laws that have encouraged its destruction.”