On the recordOctober 24, 2000
Last March I passed an amendment to raise the minimum wage $1 over 2 years, from $5.15 to $6.15. The minimum wage increase was then rolled in with a tax cut. I voted for that tax cut because I believe if the boss cannot afford the wage increase, the boss will end up laying off some of the people on the bottom end of the ladder that are the very people we want to help the most. The bottom line is, what good is a pay increase if someone loses their job? Beam me up. But let me say this: Any final agreement that does not both raise the minimum wage $1 over 2 years and also give help to the companies and employers who hire our people will be a failure. Mr. Speaker, I yield back all the politics of class warfare at the White House.
Source
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