Making Further Continuing Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2007

MAKING FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007 -- (Senate - December 08, 2006)

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the continuing resolution we are considering here today has a 6-week moratorium on a cost-of-living adjustment for Members of Congress. I support this provision because we should not give ourselves a raise until we pass legislation raising the minimum wage.

It has been a decade since Congress last increased the minimum wage to $5.15 an hour. Since then, the real value of the minimum wage has eroded by 20 percent, since--unlike Congress's pay raise--we did not increase the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation.

Twenty-nine States have answered the call and raised the minimum wage. Illinois is one of those States--it has a minimum wage of $6.50, and in December the Governor is expected to sign recently passed legislation raising the minimum wage to $7.50 in July.

But there are still 6 million Americans making $5.15 an hour.

We have been trying for nearly a decade to get the attention of the Republican leadership that there are millions of Americans who go to work every single day and can't make enough money to provide decent day care for their kids, pay medical and utility bills, and provide food and other essentials that are just a part of every family's daily life.

A Low Income Housing Coalition study shows that, for the first time, there was not one county anywhere in America in which a minimum wage worker could afford a one-bedroom apt. On average, workers have to make three times the minimum wage to afford a one-bedroom apartment in this country. So people who are working full time for minimum wage literally can't afford to keep a roof over their children's heads.

These hardworking Americans who work full time and make the minimum wage earn just $10,700 per year--$6,000 below the poverty level. In Illinois, $6.50 minimum wage workers currently earn $13,520. And now there are 37 million Americans in poverty--a 5.4 million increase since President Bush took office.

While the Republicans in this town refuse to raise the minimum wage to help millions out of poverty, Congress has seen its pay increased by $31,600. Something is wrong here.

We hope to send a message to the Republican leadership in Congress that these hardworking families deserve a raise too, because it's time for a Congress that truly is sensitive to real family values.

Because one of those real family values is when you get up and go to work every morning, doing your best for your kids and your family, you deserve a decent pay check.

Democrats believe that, and that is why we support passing legislation raising the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour over 2 years before we allow Members to receive a roughly $3,000 increase.

While some people may say that the amount of the automatic raise Members are foregoing--$350--is only symbolic, keep in mind that minimum wage earners only earn $206 per week. To them, $350 isn't symbolic, it is the equivalent of 68 hours worth of hard work.

Therefore, on behalf of 6 million Americans making the minimum wage, I urge Republicans to join with Democrats in passing a clean minimum wage bill in January before any automatic pay adjustment for Members takes effect.

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