John Yarmuth: “During the past 40 years, we have made tremendous progress in America technologically, medically, socially, and--for…”

“During the past 40 years, we have made tremendous progress in America technologically, medically, socially, and--for many of our citizens--economically, but not if you are a family trying to get by on the minimum wage. In real value, today's Federal minimum wage is about 30 percent below the days when President Ford pardoned Richard Nixon and Cannonade won the Kentucky Derby. As American productivity has surged, the economic status of the American worker has weakened and, along with it, the capacity of American consumers to continue driving our economy. Even Walmart executives have admitted an obvious cause and effect. When their employees can't afford to shop in their stores, profits will suffer. Madam Speaker, a fair minimum wage has the power to make work pay a little better, to give families a shot at a stronger future, and to grow our economy substantially. It is a corrective to obscene corporate welfare, whereby American taxpayers must support low wage workers when their employers don't. It reaffirms the basic American idea that, if you put in 40 hours a week, you should be able to put food on your family's table every day. ____________________”