Increase the Minimum Wage

Floor Speech

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good colleague from New Mexico. It is truly an honor to be able to serve with her.

Yesterday, she shared with me a young student in her district sent her a beautiful letter. It was her first letter from a young child in her district, and I lovingly called the child Teresa's truth-teller. I hope it starts a trend in her community.

Mr. Speaker, to many of my colleagues here, I ask them all to please come and tour my district. I lovingly call them 13th District Strong because they never stop fighting for justice even when many here across the country are always being asked to wait: wait for this, wait for change, wait for us to be able to tackle poverty wages. Those that can afford it, they wait, but our folks can't afford it anymore.

Raising the Federal minimum wage to $15 per hour has never been more urgent for my residents, and it is long overdue. You see, I represent the third poorest congressional district in the country. I want you to think about that for one moment.

I have an elderly couple who has to melt snow in a bucket so that they have the ability to flush their toilet because they can't afford water. Water has been increased by 400 percent in rates. I have a mother in my district who is pleading for me to find a place where her daughter can eat twice a day. More than half of my residents pay a third or more of their income for housing.

Our economy is structured in a way to benefit the few over the many. It is no surprise that the many it is not working for are the working people in our communities.

If we want to truly look and peek at the economy, measure the amount of debt our families have compared to their incomes. Look at the productivity numbers that are up compared to the wages that remain stagnant.

At the same time that our people are suffering, large corporations are seeing record-breaking profits, and CEOs are being paid record-high salaries. It is simply unfair and immoral.

Raising the minimum wage is also a matter of racial justice. Workers of color are far more likely to be paid poverty wages than their White counterparts, and Black and Brown workers are far more likely to be victims of wage theft. I know because I used to represent them and fight for their fair access to their wages that they have earned.

A $15 Federal minimum wage would increase the earnings of 38 percent of Black workers across our Nation, a raise that will be life-changing.

It is time for all of us right here in Congress to earn our own pay and deliver this overdue minimum wage increase without delay. I hope folks understand, $15 is already the compromise. It is. If the minimum wage had kept up with worker productivity, it would already be at $24 per hour.

Workers aren't asking for anything they aren't already earning for their bosses. Without workers, there is no profit. It is high time for us to end the pattern of exploiting workers, our neighbors, family members.

Raise the wage. It is the right thing to do for our Nation. It is so incredibly supported outside these Halls of Congress. Listen to the people who sent us here. They are urging us to please stop waiting.

We have been given the power to change their lives for the better. Mr. Speaker, I thank, again, my colleague from New Mexico.

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