Special Order on Increasing the Minimum Wage, February 25, 2021 — Congressional Record, House
Summary
This is H710 of the Congressional Record, House, February 25, 2021, with interleaved columns. The page opens at the end of a debate on the national debt in which Mr. Roy and Mr. Mooney oppose the American Rescue Plan, saying that $510 billion would go to State and local governments. Under the heading Increase the Minimum Wage, Ms. Leger Fernandez is recognized for 60 minutes and says the Congressional Progressive Caucus wants a minimum wage of $15 an hour. Mr. Levin of Michigan says the Federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour for over a decade and that raising it would give 27 million workers a raise, with the views attributed to the speakers.
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“Special Order on Increasing the Minimum Wage, February 25, 2021 — Congressional Record, House.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-02-25-crec-2021-02-25-pt1-pgh710-29d2173773/
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H710 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 25, 2021
That is actually a little more than and California that are completely out ple the dignity of work with a living
$84,000 of debt to every American cit- of control in their spending. $510 billion wage. When we don’t provide a living
izen right here today. is going to bail out these State and minimum wage to American workers,
Now, on this day 1 year ago, in 2020, local governments. It is not a good use they have to work several jobs or rely
the U.S. national debt was $23.4 tril- of taxpayer dollars. on food stamps or other government
lion, that was $72,309 in debt per per- Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I would agree subsidies to put a roof over their head
son. We have actually borrowed $10,000 with the gentleman from West Vir- or food on the table.
per person in 1 year. I mean, that is out ginia, and I appreciate his comments. Rather than subsidizing corporations
of control. I have 1 minute left and I will simply who pay their workers poverty wage,
And when you hear about these just say this: This chart showing debt let’s invest in families. Our workers
bills—I plan to vote against this one is not just about the big number. It is put value and love into the work they
tomorrow; I think many of us do—they not just about the $30 trillion of debt. do day in and day out. But Congress
say, oh, we are going to give this and This is about tyranny. hasn’t raised the minimum wage in
give that. That money, that debt that we owe over a decade. It is set so low, it is
No. They are taking it from you. to our kids and grandkids is being used unsustainable for anyone. It was
This is debt that your children will to fund an education system that unsustainable before the pandemic, and
have to pay. teaches our kids that America is evil. now it is impossible for anyone to sur-
This $2 trillion—nearly $2 trillion It is being used to fund an education vive off the minimum wage alone.
spending package is full of liberal pri- system that won’t even put teachers If we don’t raise the wage, we will be
orities. We are going to grow our debt back to work. turning our backs on the essential
to $29 trillion. That is even more debt It is being used to fund a DHS that workers, on the same workers who
owed per citizen. won’t secure the border and is turning have been keeping our country running
There is a lot of misinformation it into a catch-and-release agency. for the last year. We will be turning
about where the debt is going. The top It is being used to fund the very in- our backs on working families.
two countries we owe the debt to are stitutions that are coming after our Everybody—we hear it all the time—
China and Japan, not actually our precious Bill of Rights. is thanking our essential workers.
friends. We are at global competition And I would just say to the Speaker Thank you, essential workers. We rec-
with China all the time. They are hold- and my friends on the other side of the ognize now that those who work in our
ing a lot of the debt. We owe China aisle: It is time that we come together grocery stores, who care for our elder-
over $1 trillion and we owe Japan over and protect the rights given to us by ly, who pick our foods, who keep our
$1 trillion. our Creator, that are reflected and de- schools and hospitals clean are main-
The people who are loaning us the fended in the Constitution of the taining our country through this pan-
money we have to pay back are not United States. demic.
necessarily people who have our best Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance So while we are thanking them, we
interest at heart. Brazil, we owe $258 of my time. are thanking them for putting their
billion. India, we owe $216 billion. And f lives at stake every time they go to
the list goes on the debt that is owed to work. You know what? That thank you
INCREASE THE MINIMUM WAGE
foreign countries. is hollow if we don’t back it up with ac-
The national debt was $5.6 trillion in The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under tion. That thank you is meaningless
2000. It increased. Under Obama, it ac- the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- unless we say we are willing to not
tually doubled. Since the 8 years uary 4, 2021, the gentlewoman from only thank you, but to actually pay
Obama was President, we doubled our New Mexico (Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ) is you a wage that will allow you to live
national debt. And we are adding an- recognized for 60 minutes as the des- and pay your rent and buy your food
other—projected here—a completely ignee of the majority leader. and take care of your children.
out of control debt-to-GDP ratio. GENERAL LEAVE Finally, we are going to put that
So I urge my colleagues to consider Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. thank you into action. We are going to
the future. Don’t buy into the—the Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that do that tomorrow because tomorrow
government has no money it doesn’t all Members have 5 legislative days to we are going to fulfill our commitment
take from you that you are going to revise and extend their remarks and to to workers and we are going to include
have to pay back. We need to be judi- include any extraneous material on the the minimum wage in the American
cious with these dollars, and most of subject of my Special Order. Rescue Plan.
this is not going to coronavirus relief The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there So let’s not lose sight either of the
anyway. objection to the request of the gentle- fact that this minimum wage is about
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate woman from New Mexico? our values, but it is also about family
the gentleman from West Virginia for There was no objection. values because this is a bill, the Amer-
his remarks. And I would echo that— Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. ican Rescue Act, that includes the min-
and I think the gentleman would Speaker, for years, the Congressional imum wage, that values families.
agree—that I believe that, of the $2 Progressive Caucus has fought to give
trillion, only 9 percent is directed to working families the dignity they de- b 1945
COVID relief. serve for the work they perform for our And why? Because we have all heard
And I really just can’t believe that communities and our economy. The in- the stories of those families, those par-
my colleagues on the other side of the crease of the minimum wage to $15 an ents—whether they are a single parent
aisle can really market this as a hour is an important step to accom- or two parents, or two parents and
COVID relief bill when, by the way, we plish this goal. their kids—are working. We have all
have $1 trillion remaining from the $4 Our caucus is pleased that 14 years heard those stories, that the minimum
trillion last year and only 9 percent of after Congress last increased the min- wage we have now set at $7 in many
it is directed to COVID. imum wage, we are finally close to see- places, that that is not enough to pay
Does the gentleman agree? ing an increase become law. The Amer- the rent.
Mr. MOONEY. I would agree. And I ican Rescue Plan is intended to help And so what do people need to do?
would add that 27 percent of this bill, those most impacted by the pandemic’s They need to take a second job. They
over $510 billion goes to State and local financial hardships. The increase in the need to work longer hours. They need
governments. So the taxpayers of my minimum wage will help those most to do overtime.
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State of West Virginia and your State vulnerable essential workers. It will And what happens when you are
of Texas and other States are literally put money into the economy and into working two jobs or overtime? Do you
bailing out States that have failed to our local businesses. It will help jump- then have time to coach Little League,
manage their own budgets. start our recovery. to coach your daughter’s soccer team,
West Virginia taxpayers shouldn’t This is also about the dignity of to spend that extra time reading to
have to pay for New York and Illinois work. This is a bill that will grant peo- your kids? The reality is you don’t.
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February 25, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H711
So if we value families, we will pay Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be on the studies showing this to be true from
the parents enough so that they have floor today with my Progressive Cau- coast to coast.
enough time to spend with their fami- cus colleagues this evening. Indeed, workers have got more pay to
lies. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman buy groceries, to pay for prescription
Mr. Speaker, this is about taking from Michigan (Mr. LEVIN). drugs, to shop on their local Main
families out of poverty. This is about Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, Streets. It is time to make this happen
taking children out of poverty. And I thank Congresswoman LEGER for families in every part of the coun-
this is about allowing them to come FERNANDEZ. try.
out of poverty through their employ- Let me start by saying what an Raising the minimum wage to $15 an
ment. honor it is to serve with you, and I hour is a commonsense policy that
Now, there are criticisms out there think this is our first action on the every Member should support. It is the
that raising the wage will close busi- floor. I am really glad you are here, right thing to do morally and prac-
nesses and that people will lose their and I appreciate your leadership. tically for the economy, and I am glad
jobs. I am here to tell you from experi- Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight because that President Biden included it as
ence that that won’t happen. We have too many workers across the country part of his American Rescue Plan.
had many economists who have talked have not received a raise in far too Now, let me talk about how the
about the fact that that won’t happen. long. They include the frontline and es- American people feel about this. If
But let me tell you, I have got expe- sential workers who have kept our Congressional Republicans want to op-
rience. Because in 2002, Santa Fe in- economy going during the worst public pose this, they are really out of sync
creased the minimum wage. We called health crisis in nearly a century. These with many of their own voters.
it back then—and that is why I will workers deserve better pay. That is According to a recent poll from Data
sometimes fall into saying, ‘‘a living why we must raise the minimum wage, for Progress, 66 percent of voters sup-
wage.’’ We increased the minimum step-by-step to $15 an hour by 2025, and port increasing the Federal minimum
wage, and we did it because we wanted we have to start doing it right now. wage to $15 an hour. In addition, 57 per-
to help people. We wanted to take the The Federal minimum wage has been cent of voters support using non-
first step to bring people out of pov- stuck at $7.25 an hour for over a dec- standard Senate procedures, like the
erty. ade. This is the longest stretch of time budget reconciliation, to pass this min-
So the living-wage effort that we did that we have not raised the minimum imum wage increase.
in Santa Fe was a broad coalition that wage since it was first introduced in Mr. Speaker, 20 States just raised
included businesses, it included grass- 1938. their minimum wage, as I said, in the
roots activists, it included govern- Mr. Speaker, $7.25 is far too low. last year, but let’s focus on Florida.
ments, it also included the faith com- That is not an adequate wage for any- In November of 2020, Florida voted
munity and the Catholic Church. one, regardless of age or occupation. It for Donald Trump—I am not positive of
This faith community and the Catho-
is a poverty wage which prevents work- my data here. I think it was by 50.5
lic Church, they saw it as a Christian
ers from realizing the American percent to 48 percent, I think President
value, that people deserve to earn a liv-
Dream. By gradually raising the min- Trump won Florida. Well, guess what?
ing wage for their hard work. And the
imum wage to $15 an hour, 27 million A $15-an-hour minimum wage clocked
first 5 years after passage, not only
low-wage workers will get a raise—27 Donald Trump. The same Republican
were businesses not harmed, but the
million people. We will lift nearly a voters and Democratic voters and Inde-
number of establishments, the number
of small businesses in Santa Fe grew. million people out of poverty, includ- pendent voters all across Florida who
From 2012 to 2017, both the number of ing a lot of kids. And we will put an voted for Donald Trump by a slight
small businesses and the number of extra $333 billion in the pockets of poor margin, voted for a $15-an-hour State-
people employed by small businesses in and working-class Americans and their wide minimum wage by 61 to 39 per-
Santa Fe increased, all while seeing families over the next decade. cent. It was overwhelming.
higher wages every single year. Be- This money will be a lifeline for the In the midst of a pandemic that has
cause what we did in Santa Fe was, we working men and women of this coun- killed 500,000 Americans and an eco-
said we need to make this decision try. It will go towards food. It will go nomic crisis that has the worst food
now, and then do what we are doing in towards rent. It will go towards shoes, lines in unemployment since the Great
our bill, which is index it so that we other basic necessities, and that will Depression, corporations have been
don’t have to have this fight all the stimulate local economies from coast raking in billions while workers are
time, and so that we don’t set a min- to coast. earning poverty wages and they are
imum wage, which is then a poverty Some detractors say this policy will forced to live off food stamps. That is
wage, if we don’t act. hurt the economy, and that it is too why so many Americans support this.
So in Santa Fe, we did that. And it much too fast. But that is just plain Now, what about the argument that
didn’t kill job growth. It didn’t harm wrong. This proposal raises the min- $15 an hour is too high?
businesses, but it did help families. It imum wage responsibly over a period of By 2025, $15 an hour will be the equiv-
helped stimulate our economy. It made 5 years. Its effective date is 3 months alent of $13.62 in 2020 dollars. So it
our communities stronger. It was so after the bill’s enactment, giving em- won’t even be as high as it appears
successful that the county then adopt- ployers adequate time to adjust even now, but it will be the minimum
ed a similar living wage. And it was so before the initial increase. amount that a single adult working
successful in the city and the county Mr. Speaker, 20 States just raised full time will need to earn a living and
that the State of New Mexico raised their minimum wage, going into this to cover core basic living expenses.
the minimum wage as well. year, 2021. And a total of 30 States—red Now, check this out: Even in the area
Here in the House, we will do what and blue—now have minimum wages with the lowest cost of living in these
we did in Santa Fe and New Mexico. We higher than the Federal minimum United States, Beckley, West Virginia,
will do our job to provide workers wage. That includes my home State of in 2025, a two-parent, two-child house-
across the Nation with a wage that re- Michigan, which raised its minimum hold, in which both parents earn $15 an
flects the hard work that they do for wage in 2018 and currently has a min- hour and pay taxes, will be $360 short
us. We will thank them with our legis- imum wage of $9.65. So the first in- each month to cover basic living ex-
lation. crease under this bill won’t even raise penses. The lowest-cost place in the
Mr. Speaker, I am going to also urge wages in Michigan. It is very gradual. country, $15 an hour in 2025 won’t fully
the Senate to lead with the kind of em- We have not seen the catastrophic cover basic living expenses.
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pathy and compassion that our citizens predictions of job losses and higher Furthermore, if the minimum wage
and our constituents and our commu- prices on goods come to pass in States had kept pace with productivity, with
nities expect of us. And if you lead that have raised their minimum wage. the increased productivity we create by
with empathy and compassion, you will Representative LEGER FERNANDEZ just working, since 1968—so productivity
also pass an American Rescue Plan talked about Santa Fe and her county gains from 1968 to today—if the min-
that includes the minimum wage. and her State, but we have a lot of imum wage had increased at the same
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H712 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 25, 2021
rate, it would be over $20 an hour Our minimum wage workers, many of thank you to those essential workers,
today. And we are proposing just $15 an whom we have come to call essential we must express our gratitude in
hour. workers, have a base pay of $15,080 a things like the minimum wage because
So, Representative LEGER year. It doesn’t take a Ph.D. to know without that, then they are just words.
FERNANDEZ, I am so grateful for you that you can’t survive on $7.25. Yet, we Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, the gentle-
bringing me into this conversation. I expect millions of our neighbors to do woman is exactly right. We have to do
feel like this is a question of basic de- it, even during a pandemic and an eco- it, and we have to do it now.
cency, of basic dignity, of the value of nomic crisis. Essential workers need essential op-
work in this country. Every person who From the North Carolina General As- portunities to get a decent wage so
gets up and goes to work should be able sembly to the U.S. House of Represent- that they can take care of their fami-
to provide for their family. And every atives, raising the wage has been part lies. Working hard is not enough if you
person, just as you said, should have of my life’s work. I know how a couple don’t make enough. Right now, folks
one job, and that should be enough. of dollars an hour can be the difference who are making this $7.25 do not make
One job should be enough. And by the between prosperity and poverty. I enough to make ends meet.
way, that includes everybody. know it because I have lived it. You Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Working
One of the great things about what see, my mom was a domestic worker. hard enough is not enough if you can’t
we are doing is, we are getting rid of She cleaned other people’s houses so I make ends meet. Those are wonderful
subminimum wages across the board. wouldn’t have to, so I could focus on words.
No subminimums for tip workers, who going to school and getting a good edu- Ms. ADAMS. That is right.
are overwhelmingly women and work- cation. Day in and day out, I saw that Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr.
ers of color, no subminimum wages for no matter how hard she worked, her Speaker, I yield to my colleague from
workers with a disability. earnings were barely enough to get us Michigan (Ms. TLAIB).
We have an opportunity here to bring by. Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I thank my
so many people out of poverty, to give Colleagues, this is not because she good colleague from New Mexico. It is
a raise to 27 million people. It is time didn’t work hard enough. It is because truly an honor to be able to serve with
to do this. We have got to pass it. The she didn’t make enough. her.
Senate has got to pass it. We have a Now, decades later, that reality has Yesterday, she shared with me a
President named Joseph R. Biden, who only gotten starker and the need to ad- young student in her district sent her a
is ready to sign it. Let’s go. dress it more pressing. The minimum beautiful letter. It was her first letter
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Congress- wage has been at $7.25 for over a dec- from a young child in her district, and
man LEVIN, I think you raised exactly ade, the longest stretch in U.S. history. I lovingly called the child Teresa’s
the points that we have been talking Mr. Speaker, it is simply impossible truth-teller. I hope it starts a trend in
about. to pay the rent and feed your family her community.
This minimum wage, it should be a when you are only making $1,250 a Mr. Speaker, to many of my col-
floor. And it is something that every- month. That is not far off from the av- leagues here, I ask them all to please
body supports. Everybody supports it, erage monthly rent of an apartment in come and tour my district. I lovingly
whether you are a Republican, whether Charlotte, North Carolina. call them 13th District Strong because
you are a Democrat, and it is time to Make no mistake about it, $7.25 is a they never stop fighting for justice
get it done. poverty wage. That is why it is time to even when many here across the coun-
Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, raise the wage to $15 an hour. try are always being asked to wait:
let me just mention, the gentlewoman A $15 minimum wage would give 27 wait for this, wait for change, wait for
is so right that it is a floor. One of million low-wage workers a raise and us to be able to tackle poverty wages.
these arguments that we hear is, ‘‘We lift nearly 1 million people out of pov- Those that can afford it, they wait, but
don’t want one-size-fits-all,’’ right? erty. In my district, in Charlotte and our folks can’t afford it anymore.
Well, first of all, as a labor lawyer, Mecklenburg County, it would mean Raising the Federal minimum wage
the minimum wage has been one na- giving a raise to 80,000 working women. to $15 per hour has never been more ur-
tional wage the whole time since 1938. 146,000 workers in the 12th District gent for my residents, and it is long
It is simply a floor of decency. would see an average pay increase of overdue. You see, I represent the third
And guess what? You already ex- poorest congressional district in the
over $4,000 a year.
plained how in 2025, it is not very like- In this moment of crisis, as we grap- country. I want you to think about
ly that the minimum wage in Santa ple with the COVID–19 pandemic, a $15 that for one moment.
Fe, New Mexico, will be $15 an hour. minimum wage is more important than I have an elderly couple who has to
Because in Santa Fe and San Francisco ever. melt snow in a bucket so that they
and Los Angeles and New York and It is also important to note that es- have the ability to flush their toilet be-
Denver—and whatever—places all sential and frontline workers make up cause they can’t afford water. Water
around this country—the odds are a majority of those who would benefit has been increased by 400 percent in
overwhelming that they will have to from this wage increase. I believe in es- rates. I have a mother in my district
raise their minimum wage beyond that. sential wages for essential workers. who is pleading for me to find a place
It is a floor of decency. Let’s go.
That is why we can’t pay an essential where her daughter can eat twice a
Don’t you think? Let’s go.
worker or any worker a poverty wage. day. More than half of my residents
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Congress-
We must take action to deliver on pay a third or more of their income for
man LEVIN, I love the way you describe
our Nation’s promise of equal oppor- housing.
this as a ‘‘floor of decency.’’ And it is
tunity for all. In the strongest possible Our economy is structured in a way
our moral compass that tells us that
terms, I urge support for increasing the to benefit the few over the many. It is
we must vote for this and we must vote
Federal minimum wage to $15. If it no surprise that the many it is not
for families now. And so we have heard
can’t happen in tomorrow’s package, I working for are the working people in
what is happening in your State.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentle- urge our committee and this body to our communities.
woman from North Carolina (Ms. take it up next week because America If we want to truly look and peek at
ADAMS), so she can explain why this is cannot wait. the economy, measure the amount of
supported in her district and her State. Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Congress- debt our families have compared to
woman ADAMS, that was such a forceful their incomes. Look at the produc-
b 2000 description of why it is so necessary for tivity numbers that are up compared
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Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank us to act, to act on this moral impera- to the wages that remain stagnant.
Representative LEGER FERNANDEZ for tive, which we are facing in this mo- At the same time that our people are
yielding. ment. suffering, large corporations are seeing
Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to give We have to remember this is a his- record-breaking profits, and CEOs are
voice to the millions of Americans who toric moment, so this is our time to being paid record-high salaries. It is
are calling on us to raise the wage. take historic action. When we say simply unfair and immoral.
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February 25, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H713
Raising the minimum wage is also a But COVID–19 has shown the South doesn’t matter because there is a floor
matter of racial justice. Workers of Bronx to be the essential congressional that is the same across the country,
color are far more likely to be paid district. It is the home of essential and it is not a poverty wage.
poverty wages than their White coun- workers who put their lives at risk dur- b 2015
terparts, and Black and Brown workers ing the peak of the pandemic so that
are far more likely to be victims of the rest of us could safely shelter in What we have now is a poverty wage.
wage theft. I know because I used to place. We owe it to those workers to That is very clear. If you cannot use
represent them and fight for their fair give them a fighting chance at a decent the minimum wage that we have now
access to their wages that they have and dignified life. to pay your rent, to buy your food, and
earned. Our society will be judged by how we to pay your utilities, then that is the
A $15 Federal minimum wage would treat the most essential among us. equivalent of a poverty wage. We know
increase the earnings of 38 percent of There is a gap between the value of that. We know that because of the
Black workers across our Nation, a what our essential workers do and how wages we have across our country.
raise that will be life-changing. poorly we treat them and how poorly We have all worked. Congressman
It is time for all of us right here in we pay them. Bridging that essential TORRES, you have worked and looked
Congress to earn our own pay and de- gap is one of the great moral impera- to see: When does the Community De-
liver this overdue minimum wage in- tives of our time. velopment Block Grant come in? Does
crease without delay. I hope folks un- Raising the minimum wage is long it look like we are a distressed commu-
derstand, $15 is already the com- overdue. The minimum wage in Amer- nity or not? They look at what that
promise. It is. If the minimum wage ica has been lagging behind inflation. median income is, and if you are earn-
had kept up with worker productivity, It has been lagging behind the produc- ing the median wage, you are in pov-
it would already be at $24 per hour. tivity of the American workforce. It erty, right?
Workers aren’t asking for anything has been lagging behind the historic Mr. TORRES of New York. Mr.
they aren’t already earning for their average. Speaker, she is exactly right. The
bosses. Without workers, there is no We have gone more than a decade, promise of America is that if you work
profit. It is high time for us to end the the longest we have ever gone, without hard and play by the rules, then you
pattern of exploiting workers, our raising the minimum wage by even a should have access to a decent, dig-
neighbors, family members. cent. By every metric, whether it is in- nified life. Too many of our essential
Raise the wage. It is the right thing flation or productivity or the historic workers are paid starvation wages.
to do for our Nation. It is so incredibly average or the length of time that we You have people who are doing every-
supported outside these Halls of Con- thing right. They are working their
have gone without raising the min-
gress. Listen to the people who sent us heart out for the country and for their
imum wage, it is time to finally lift
here. They are urging us to please stop families, and they are struggling to
the minimum wage for the most essen-
waiting. survive because the cost of living in
We have been given the power to tial workers among us.
The statistics are clear that raising America, especially in cities like New
change their lives for the better. Mr. York, is spiraling out of control.
the minimum wage would lift 900,000
Speaker, I thank, again, my colleague So the promise of America is broken
from New Mexico. Americans out of poverty. It would
raise incomes for 17,000 Americans. as long as we continue to pay our most
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. essential workers poverty wages. It is
Speaker, Congresswoman TLAIB talked For me, the minimum wage is ex-
actly that. It is the minimum of what no longer defensible.
about the fact that now is the time.
we should do for our most essential Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr.
There is a call and an urgency for us to
workers. If we fail to raise the min- Speaker, earlier we spoke about the
do this because it is the time of the
imum wage, then shame on us. Shame fact that to say thank you to these es-
pandemic. It is the time of such great
on us for failing to do right by the es- sential workers regularly and over and
suffering.
My father had a saying that when it sential workers who did right by all of over again but to refuse to pay a living
was time to get important stuff done, us in our moment of greatest need. wage, a minimum wage of at least what
he would say, ‘‘Ahora es cuando,’’ it is Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. we are asking for in this bill, is really
time now. His saying is ringing Speaker, I thank Congressman TORRES. not saying thank you at all, is it? It
through your words, and it is calling What he has told us today is about rings hollow.
upon us to say what we need to say so the fact that there are districts in the Mr. TORRES of New York. Mr.
that we do what we need to do and country, including mine, including so Speaker, we cannot simply honor our
raise the wage. So, ahora es cuando. It many that we have heard about, where essential workers with hollow words.
is, indeed, time now. the minimum wage is too low. What we We, as a country, have to put our
Thank you for explaining the ur- can’t do is we can’t have a United money where our mouth is and do right
gency of what it is like to have to boil States of America where what you earn by them.
your water because you can’t afford depends on where you live. That is Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr.
the utility bill. That should break all what we are trying to do today, is say Speaker, I yield back the balance of
of our hearts, and it should urge us that where you live does not impact my time.
each to act and to act now with the what you earn or where you work. Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in
power that we have been given by our Today, at a Senate hearing, Costco support of raising the federal minimum wage
constituents. announced that it would begin paying to $15 an hour. I want to thank my friend and
I would now like to turn to one of my their workers a $16-an-hour minimum colleague Representative Teresa Leger
colleagues, one of our freshman class wage. They have already recognized Fernandez from New Mexico’s 3rd district for
from New York City, Congressman that that $15 level is too low, and they convening this special order hour. Raising the
TORRES. want to keep their workers. federal minimum wage to $15 an hour is one
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman The reality is, we know that when critical step towards ensuring an equitable re-
from New York (Mr. TORRES). people are paid well, then the turnover covery from the COVID–19 pandemic. The
Mr. TORRES of New York. Mr. is less. The commitment is better, and federal minimum wage has been at $7.25 for
Speaker, I thank Teresa for those kind paying a minimum wage, paying some- more than a decade. This is the longest period
words. thing where somebody can go home to of time without an increase in the minimum
I have the honor of representing New their children, can put that food on the wage in US history. Inflation has eroded this
York 15, the South Bronx, which is table without relying on SNAP bene- amount to a fraction of its previous value. We
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often said to be the poorest congres- fits, that they can then say: I have must increase the wage and we must do it
sional district in America. The unem- done it. I can go work. I can come now.
ployment rate in the South Bronx can home. Someone working a full time job at the cur-
be as high as 25 percent compared to 5 And it doesn’t matter whether I live rent federal minimum wage only earns
percent in the Upper East Side, so we in your district, whether I live in Se- $15,000 a year. That is a disgrace. A full time
are living through a tale of two cities. attle, or whether I live in Coronado. It worker in this country should be able to put
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H714 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 25, 2021
food on their table and a roof over their head nities. I am honored to be able to rep- students will travel to Latin America,
and be able to pay their other expenses with resent them in Congress and share not only to fit the amputees but also to
their earnings. Many of these minimum wage their stories with you today. aid the amputees in rehabilitation as
workers are essential workers, helping our The first is my friend, and the only they learn to walk and use their new
communities endure this pandemic. woman sheriff in the great State of limbs.
Raising the minimum wage to fifteen dollars Florida, Sheriff Michelle Cook. Sheriff Another one is Natalie Fox, assistant
an hour isn’t a cure-all. In high cost urban Cook, in her long tenure in law en- administrator and chief nursing officer
areas, such as the one I represent in the Bay forcement, has walked the beat and for USA Physicians Group. That
Area, fifteen dollars an hour still is not enough fought against the scourge of the ‘‘USA’’ stands for University of South
to get ahead. But raising the federal minimum opioid epidemic and human trafficking Alabama, which we are very proud of.
wage has been shown to help lift wages in Clay County. And USA Healthcare has been a leading
across the board for people at the lower end She is also the proud mother to four coordinator in the University of South
of the income scale. foster children, who she lovingly Alabama Healthcare System commu-
A fifteen dollar minimum wage would give brought into her own home to prevent nity testing and vaccination sites for
27 million low-wage workers a raise and lift their separation. She works every day the Mobile region.
nearly one MILLION people out of poverty. But to protect our community and our To date, she has overseen the suc-
this isn’t just an economic need—it’s a racial great county of Clay County. I am so cessful implementation of over 26,000
justice imperative. Many people of color have grateful for her service. COVID–19 vaccines administered since
been paid poverty wages for too long—deep- Thank you, Sheriff Cook. December 15, and over 50,000
ening the long standing racial and economic Now, much like Sheriff Cook, Ser- coronavirus tests performed since the
divisions in this country. African Americans, geant Kim Miller put service above self pandemic began. Natalie has worked
Hispanics and Asian Americans are all much as a member of the Green Cove Springs tirelessly to meet the high demands on
more likely to make only the minimum wage. Police Department. While Sergeant the healthcare system for the past
Recent polling shows that 72 percent of Miller celebrated her retirement ear- year, and I am incredibly thankful for
Americans, a vast majority, support raising the lier this year, she has spent the last 15 her hard work and her dedication to
minimum wage, including Republicans and years of her life dedicated to the chil- the people of south Alabama.
Independents. We need to ensure workers get dren of Clay County and their safety Jennifer Myrick of Fairhope, Ala-
paid living wages, especially in times of crisis. and development. bama, has been a critical figure in the
Raising the minimum wage is a necessary first She is proud to have been the first recovery efforts after Hurricanes Sally
step to growing our economy and recovering Black female sergeant for the Green and Zeta, which hit the area. Jennifer
from this pandemic. Additionally, it will also Cove Springs Police Department and worked through the Fairhope United
lessen the need for full time workers to be re- continues to make the citizens of Clay Methodist Church to set up an inde-
ceiving public assistance. When you raise the County proud. pendent point of distribution to hand
wages of the lowest-paid workers, it is good It was always a pleasure seeing Ser- out critical supplies to the public.
for our communities and our country. Those geant Miller’s smiling face when I vis- She has also headed up a feeding pro-
workers can then spend money in their com- ited the department, and I congratu- gram for those supplies and is an active
munities, boosting local small businesses and late her on her retirement this year. member of the Voluntary Organiza-
our entire economy. Although she is not on the force any tions Active in Disaster through Bald-
f longer, her service to the Green Cove win County Emergency Management,
Springs community is remarkable. I where she helped fulfill many needs
HONORING HOMETOWN HEROES am honored to celebrate her here throughout the county.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under today. Jennifer also worked with the
the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman Fairhope Police Department to keep
uary 4, 2021, the Chair recognizes the from Alabama (Mr. CARL). police officers, dispatchers, and correc-
gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, what an tion officers fed through this long
CAMMACK) for 30 minutes. honor to get to speak before you. This stretch between both of these hurri-
Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Speaker, I rise is a thrill. canes.
today to celebrate and honor home- I rise today to honor several home- Kathy Couey, a recreation supervisor
town heroes in my district and across town heroes from my district who have for the city of Chickasaw, Alabama,
the Nation, these proud Americans em- made an impact on the community goes above and beyond her duties every
bodying the persistent, giving, and over the course of the year. day in her day-to-day responsibilities
fighting spirit of our national creed. First, I would like to thank my col- to make sure the city is a better and
The COVID pandemic has put our league from Florida, Congresswoman healthier place for families to live. Her
country and our communities to the KAT CAMMACK, for organizing this Spe- creativity is limitless, with a true serv-
test, pushing us to seek positivity and cial Order hour. ant’s heart.
hope in each day as we have weathered I also reached out to my community, With so many people working and
the storms that have come our way. and I asked for the leaders in our com- learning from home over the past year,
Mr. Speaker, I want to highlight the munity to give us some of what they staying active and getting outdoors
great work and service of my constitu- think to be hometown heroes. Let me has been critical to people’s physical
ents who have shown bravery and em- just run through a few real quick. and mental health. Kathy’s hard work
pathy in these trying times. Last year has been tough on millions has made Chickasaw a better place to
Last week, I invited the constituents of Americans across the country as we live and raise a family.
of Florida’s Third Congressional Dis- battle the COVID pandemic and endure Virtually no person across the coun-
trict, the Gator Nation, to submit their countless hardships, but I am proud of try has not been impacted in some way
nominations for individuals they would so many folks in south Alabama who by the pandemic, natural disasters, and
like to honor for their dedication to have made our community a better the countless other challenges that we
our communities over the last year. I place. Many of them are unsung heroes. have faced. We have come a long way.
received several nominations with the I would like to take a moment today to Although we are living in difficult
names of constituents who have gone honor a few of them. times, I could not be prouder than I am
above and beyond the call of duty, who Brian Copes, manufacturing instruc- to be an American today.
put service above self, so many nomi- tor for the city of Chickasaw School And I couldn’t be more thankful for
nations, in fact, that we have pledged System, is a leader in the effort of de- so many incredible people all over my
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to continue this series throughout the veloping inexpensive prosthetic limbs district and all over the Nation who
year to highlight their great work. that will change many lives of ampu- have worked hard each day, not for
Included in this group are first re- tees throughout Latin America. fame, not for recognition or for money,
sponders, law enforcement officers, Students from all disciplines have but for the betterment of their friends
teachers, nurses, and Good Samaritans. been working together to create a real and neighbors. This is what makes
They are the backbone of our commu- nonprofit business. Eventually, these America strong.
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