Thomas Daschle: “I respond to the Senator that, yes, indeed, we would be prepared to enter into any short time agreement. We would not…”

“I respond to the Senator that, yes, indeed, we would be prepared to enter into any short time agreement. We would not have to have amendments. We have had the opportunity to debate this issue, to talk about it. In 1990, when this issue came to the Senate floor, the overwhelming majority of Democrats and Republicans voted for an increase in the minimum wage, overwhelmingly. It was, ironically, the same amount of money we are talking about now. Now, unfortunately, we have lost more purchasing power than at any time in the last 40 years. We are forced, again, to face the issue. How do we address it if we cannot put it on a calendar in a way that will accommodate a bill in normal parliamentary circumstances? We have no recourse but to offer it as amendments. That is what we will do. We will keep doing it, whether it is on immigration or any one of a number of other bills. Certainly, we would be prepared to enter into any time agreement that will accommodate the schedule of our Republican colleagues, as well as the legislation pending.”