Miller Statement on President Obama’s Announcement to Raise Minimum Wage for Government Contract Workers
WASHINGTON—Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) released the following statement this morning in response to the announcement that President Obama intends to use an executive order to raise the minimum wage for new federal contract workers, which he will share with the country tonight during the State of the Union speech:
"The president is setting the right example through this executive order. The fact is, mayors, city councils, state legislatures, governors, and voters have already been raising the minimum wage in communities across the country. Now it is time for Congress to join the rest of the country in raising the federal minimum wage to a level that will help lift working people out of poverty, create jobs, and help move America forward. I applaud the president's action and I strongly urge Congress this year to pass the Miller-Harkin bill to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour."
The last time Congress apprived a hike in the min wage was in 2007, when it passed the Miller-Kennedy legislation, The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, to increase the federal min wage from $5.15 to $7.25 by 2009. It has not been increased since.
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