Political Quotes

“Let me finish responding to my distinguished colleague. The minimum wage that he called ``a joke,'' that we put in the trifecta bill, or the House put in the trifecta bill, which we will be voting on on Friday, to call a minimum wage that, it is their No. 1 issue. I have made it clear, again and again, going to the other side, What are your issues? The No. 1 issue from that side of the aisle is to increase the minimum wage, again and again and again. To have this opportunity now to take their No. 1 issue, with the issue that is very important to us, that focuses on small business and farms, and take their No. 1 issue and put them together, to me is in the best spirit of this Senate. I would not call it a joke when you increase the minimum wage today from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 an hour. Yes, it is over 36 months. Yes, we do include the minimum wage tip credit which we feel is very important to small businesses. Yes, there is relief for small businesses who might say out there, we cannot afford this increase in minimum wage in the tax extenders package where we have a 15-year depreciation to give some help to those people who might be affected by increasing the minimum wage in a detrimental way, but I would not call it a joke. It is their No. 1 issue. To put it together in one bill that we can take forward, to me, is in the great spirit of coming together in this Senate.…”