Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman from the Education and Labor Committee. It makes a big difference when he has the gavel and the priorities that he has set as the chairman of that committee and the fact that, as we have done from the beginning of this Congress, the For the People Agenda has been focused on making a difference in the lives of the American people that we represent. The gentleman just pointed out that two-thirds of the minimum wage workers in this country are women and that two-fifths--in fact, 38 percent of African Americans and one-third, 33 percent of Latinos-- would get a raise when we pass the legislation and the Federal minimum wage is increased to $15 an hour. It would also boost the economy. A 10 percent increase in the minimum wage would increase sales by around $2 billion each year. Now, I want to just take on a couple of the myths that have been out there with this administration and my Republican colleagues who have opposed the efforts of the House Democrats to bring forward this wage increase. One of the myths out there is around the Black unemployment rate in this country. We hear often the President say that, among certain racial groups, particularly African Americans, the unemployment rate is at an all-time low. And while it is, in fact, true that the unemployment rate is down and it has been down and has been steadily falling since 2011, well before Trump was sworn into office, that rate of decline has not gained momentum since.…”