Political Quotes

“I proudly stand in support of a minimum-wage increase. The original bill, H.R. 3846, falls short of meeting the needs of the American family and that is why the Traficant-Martinez amendment is needed. A full-time, year-round minimum-wage worker with a family of three earns about $2,000 less than what is needed to live above the Federal poverty line. Our economy is the strongest it has been in years and these American workers deserve to share in our prosperity. That is why I support the Democratic substitute by my California and Ohio colleagues which increases the minimum wage instead of from 3 years to 2 years over the period of time. More than 11.8 million workers will benefit from this increase. In my home State of Texas, 13.3 percent of the workforce stands to benefit from such an increase, and that is over 1 million workers. That is why an increase will give not only my constituents but also hard-working Americans the chance to earn a livable wage. We had a great Senator from Texas named Ralph Yarborough. When he debated the minimum wage, he said, it is time we put the jam on the lower shelf for the little people.”