Pelosi Remarks at the Introduction of the ‘Raise the Wage Act’ of 2017

Contact: Ashley Etienne/Caroline Behringer, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer; Senator Bernie Sanders, Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee; Congressman Bobby Scott, Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce; Senator Patty Murray, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension, and Congressman Keith Ellison to introduce the ‘Raise the Wage Act' of 2017. Below is a transcript of the Leader's remarks:

Opening Remarks:

Leader Pelosi. "Thank you, Brittany, for bringing your testimony to bear on this important subject. And as indicated by what Brittany had to say, this is a very important issue for women workers in our country. Nearly two-thirds of those who make the minimum wage are women. And as with Brittany, in her case, some of them are raising their families and making sacrifices so that there can be higher profits for corporate America.

"This is an ossifying of the gilded age, the exploitation of workers to the benefit of profits for the few at the expense of the many. Yes, I was Speaker when we passed the minimum wage ten years ago today. We were very proud of it. It was signed today but we passed it in the first day that we came into office.

"Mr. [Steny] Hoyer our distinguished Whip is here. He knows that in the first one hundred hours we promised to the American people that if elected we would raise the minimum wage and we did. And we got to this point, we could only go this far with a Republican president, but we raised the minimum wage.

"And this day, after we passed the bill, we went out and had a rally on the lawn out here and Senator [Ted] Kennedy who was so much a part of it said as soon – as we were finished – he said, ‘you know what we have to do now?' I said, ‘what.' He said, ‘we have to raise the minimum wage!'

[Laugher]

"Because he knew right then and there that seven and a quarter, which was the eventual increase, was not enough. I'm very honored to join the Fight for 15. This is a living wage. It's very important. We're proud of what we've done in California.

"I know that the distinguished Senator [Patty] Murray is proud of Washington State but we want that to happen in the whole country. It's important for families, for moms. Some moms have to have two jobs. When they have two jobs, that deprives them of the opportunity to mentor their children.

"So this is about – if we have family values, we must raise the minimum wage. If we care about the growth of our economy, just forgetting individuals, we can't, but if you just put it in terms of the economy. The economy will never grow to the extent that it must unless we put purchasing power into the hands of America's working families.

"So, this very increase in the minimum wage is the biggest stimulus we can give to our economy. People will consume, they will inject demand into the economy, they will create jobs. This is good for the economy, it reduces the deficit, more importantly, most importantly, the impact that it has in the lives of people so they can reach their aspirations, raise their families, and not live in a country that says if you work hard, play by the rules, work full time, you live below the poverty line. You live below the poverty line. That's just not right.

"Let's all join the Fight for 15. And I'll tell you one thing for sure: if we win the election, in the first 100 hours, we will pass a $15 minimum wage. We'd rather have it now. We'd rather win on the issue than worry about the election.

"A champion on so many of these issues, the great Senator from Washington State, Patty Murray."

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