Nydia M. Velazquez: “finally, we get the chance to vote on an increase to the Federal minimum wage. Americans have been calling for a vote on…”

“finally, we get the chance to vote on an increase to the Federal minimum wage. Americans have been calling for a vote on increasing the minimum wage for months. In fact, 85 percent of America supports giving minimum wage workers their first raise in five, long years. But instead of a straight up-or down vote, Republicans had to make sure their business buddies got some goodies in the deal. This should have been a simple bill. Instead, it guts Federal wage protections by attaching two Trojan Horse amendments full of poison. We should be making work pay. I am truly outraged that Republicans would try to exclude many millions of Americans from being paid a fair wage. Mr colleagues should come down from their corporate ivory towers and do the work they were sent here to do. Represent the people who have told us loud and clear that they want a clean minimum wage increase period. Vote against both Goodling amendments and support a clean increase to the minimum wage.”