Xavier Becerra: “Mr. Speaker, it is a new day, a new Congress, and a new direction for America. The previous Congress could have…”

“Mr. Speaker, it is a new day, a new Congress, and a new direction for America. The previous Congress could have increased the minimum wage, but it didn't. The Congress before that could have, but it didn't. Every day, over 6 million Americans choose work at $5.15 an hour over welfare. For 10 years, the old Congress chose to do nothing to reward the labor and dedication of those Americans who do some of the hardest work for the lowest pay. $5.15 an hour, that is less than $900 each month. How much do you pay every month just on your mortgage or your rent, your car payment? Today, compared to 1997, we pay 25 percent more for a loaf of bread, 77 percent more for college, 97 percent more for health insurance, and 130 percent more for a gallon of gas. But, for those 10 years, the minimum wage has not changed. Mr. Speaker, every American worker who works hard full time all year should escape the grasp of poverty. The time for excuses expired 10 years ago. It is time to increase the minimum wage for hardworking Americans. This new Congress will deliver for America's workers.”