Lynn C. Woolsey: “It is time to increase the minimum wage. It is time to make work pay. It's time to make work pay more than welfare. I…”

“It is time to increase the minimum wage. It is time to make work pay. It's time to make work pay more than welfare. I know, because over 28 years ago, as a single, working mother, I was earning so little I had to go on welfare to supplement my pay in order to provide my children with the health care, child care and food they needed. Unfortunately, too many American workers face the same situation today. In fact, most minimum wage earners look a lot like I did 28 years ago: 60 percent of minimum wage earners are women. Of that, 72 percent are over 20 years old. And, one-fifth of minimum wage earners are single parents. So, yes, my friends, despite what you've heard from the Republican leadership, families struggling to get by on $4.25 an hour really do exist. What does not exist, however, is a believable commitment by the majority to boost the wages of working Americans. Now, rather than having a clean up-or-down vote on raising the minimum wage, the Republicans are loading the bill up with amendments that will make an increase meaningless. Under the Goodling amendment alone, up to 10 million workers could lose their right to any minimum wage. Mr. Speaker, that's not making work pay. It is taking workers backwards. It is letting businesses off the hook who pay low wages. It is forcing the taxpayers through the welfare system to make up the difference for these low wages. Mr. Speaker, let us pass a minimum wage. No if's, and's or but's. Let's make work pay.”