Pelosi Statement on Five Years Since Last Minimum Wage Increase

Contact: Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the fifth anniversary of the date the federal minimum wage increased to $7.25 an hour:

"In 2007, a Democratic Congress came together with President Bush to raise the minimum wage and strengthen working families. Thanks to this bipartisan achievement, the federal minimum wage increased to $7.25 an hour on this day in 2009.

"With the minimum wage frozen for the last five years, millions of Americans with full-time jobs earning the federal minimum wage are once again forced to raise their families in poverty. After all these years, it is clear we must act again to raise the minimum wage and give a long overdue pay raise to millions of hard working people across the country.

"For us to jumpstart the middle class, we must pass the Fair Minimum Wage Act to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, and renew our nation's promise that anyone who works hard and plays by the rules can get ahead. With this one act, we could give a raise to more than 25 million working people, lift up to 4.5 million Americans out of poverty, and generate some $22 billion in increased economic activity.

"The American people demand and deserve an economy that works for everyone – not just the privileged few. Now is the time for Republicans to drop the distractions and come together with Democrats to raise the wage."

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