Pocan Introduces Minimum Wage Amendment to Republican Budget

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) today introduced an amendment to the Republican FY2015 budget proposal which would raise the minimum wage for nearly 28 million Americans, including more than 500,000 Wisconsinites, and lift millions of people out of poverty:

“America deserves a raise,” said Representative Pocan. “The minimum wage has less value today than it did in 1968 and American workers have not seen an increase in the minimum wage since 2009. Raising the minimum wage would benefit 28 million Americans immediately and lift millions out of poverty. This would help stimulate the economy immediately by making sure people have money in their pockets and that money is put back into the economy immediately.”

Representative Pocan’s amendment would increase the minimum wage over three years from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour, indexes future annual increases to inflation thereafter, and gradually increases the tipped minimum wage to 70 percent of the minimum wage. The current minimum wage pays only $15,080 per year.

Raising the minimum wage is critical to help lift those working hard to support their families out of poverty. A majority of minimum wage workers are women and the average worker who would get this raise is 35 years old.

“The myth of a minimum wage worker is a teenager living with their parents while working part-time after school,” Representative Pocan continued. “In fact, the minimum wage worker is a very real person in all of our districts who has had a stagnant wage while the rest of the economy has prospered. Raising the minimum wage is a win-win-win situation – a win for workers, a win for small businesses, and a win for the economy.”

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