Amy Klobuchar: “I rise today to speak about the importance of raising the minimum wage. People truly deserve a fair shot at the American…”

“I rise today to speak about the importance of raising the minimum wage. People truly deserve a fair shot at the American dream, and it is time to come together to raise the minimum wage. Our State just raised the minimum wage. We actually had one of the lowest minimum wages in the country--$6.15 per hour--and we are now at $9.50 per hour. So that was a major jump up. It was something that was needed, and it had a lot of support in the State of Minnesota, a State that has a very strong economy, with an unemployment rate of only 4.8 percent. But even when they have jobs people still have found it very hard to afford basic things or to send their kids to college. We should follow Minnesota's example. We should raise the Federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. I am a cosponsor of the Minimum Wage Fairness Act. I want to thank Senator Harkin for his leadership on this issue and his dedication to the working families of America. I also want to thank Senator Merkley and all of my colleagues who have worked tirelessly to raise the minimum wage. As the Senate chair of the Joint Economic Committee, I held a hearing on income inequality earlier this year with former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. His data showed--and this is a number I will never forget--that the top 400 people in this country--the top 400 people-- have the same amount of wealth as the bottom 50 percent of Americans.…”