Steven Gunderson: “I, frankly, do not understand what all the fight is about. I have consistently voted for the increase in the minimum…”

“I, frankly, do not understand what all the fight is about. I have consistently voted for the increase in the minimum wage I think every time it has come up, the three different times during my tenure here in the Congress. Let us get that out of the way. But, Mr. Speaker, can I suggest to everybody engaged in this debate, if the second part of the Goodling amendment goes down, you still have a $500,000 exemption. That is in law today. What is the difference, and what are we talking about? What we are talking about is whether or not there is going to be some geographic equity. Take a look at districts like my own, 220 miles along the Mississippi River, towns 400, 300, 200 population, family businesses. Who is affected by the minimum wage? There is not a corporation in America that is affected by the minimum wage. They all pay above that. The only people affected by this debate are those small family businesses. What we are suggesting here today in the Goodling amendment is that Larry's Lawnmower Shop in rural Wisconsin, Carol's Catering, or Jerry's Grocery, just because they have a customer that lives 2 miles down the road, but it happens to be over a bridge in Minnesota or Iowa, should not be unfairly impacted.”