Political Quotes

“This is a big day. Today we pass the first minimum wage increase for workers in decades. And, yes, I am proud to represent Seattle, a leader in the Fight for $15, where I served on the committee that actually drafted the legislation that passed, ultimately. It has been 4 years since Seattle raised the wage, and I want to tell my colleagues across the aisle what the effect of that increase has been. Seattle is flourishing. Today we have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, and jobs are growing steadily. Last year, Forbes ranked Seattle the number one best place for business and careers in 2018, and despite the doom and gloom predictions from the National Restaurant Association when we passed the bill, what we have seen is what The Seattle Times called ``a crazy restaurant boom''--that is a quote--with new jobs created every year. The most recent and credible research shows that wages for Seattle's low-wage workers went up without any negative impact on employment, and local food prices remained constant so that families could better afford to buy healthy food. When we increased the minimum wage in Seattle, Mr. Speaker, we got strong businesses, healthy families, and flourishing communities. All American workers deserve the same thing. Let's raise the wage today. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a second letter from the National Employment Law Project in support of this legislation. July 16, 2019.…”