Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, this morning, I rise to address a bill that my friends across the aisle, the Democrats, are going to bring to the floor next week raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. There was a score this week by the Congressional Budget Office that sheds truth and light on that proposal and what it does, and this government source has indicated it kills jobs. It harms Americans who are today struggling to make ends meet. The average family income will be reduced as a result of this bill. Mr. Speaker, it is estimated by the CBO, the Congressional Budget Office, that 3.7 million jobs will be lost and that 42 percent of families who are currently at the minimum wage will see a net reduction in their family income, taking many of them, maybe for the first time, down into a poverty level of income. There is a better way, Mr. Speaker. In the past, this body passed the Career and Technical Education Reauthorization bill, the Perkins Act. I was proud to work with Mr. Krishnamoorthi from Illinois on that bill as we led it. President Trump signed that into law last July. We are seeing this bill restore rungs on the ladder of opportunity. A significant number of jobs--6 million jobs--are open and available today at family-sustaining wages. There is a pathway out of minimum wage. Minimum wage should be a starting point. To me, it is not where you start in life, but it is where you end up.…”