On Wednesday, U.S. House Republicans voted not to increase the minimum wage for federal workers, preferring instead that millions remain in poverty.
In a 230 to 193 vote against raising the minimum wage for federal workers to $10.10, the GOP defeated an amendment to a House spending bill, brought by Congressman Alan Grayson (D-Florida).
The current federal minimum wage is $7.25.
Grayson had penned a letter to his House colleagues urging their support while noting that, an increase in the federal minimum wage to $10.10 would raise the pay of at least 25 million workers nationwide, generating $35 billion in increased pay for working American families and injecting some $22 billion into the economy. In addition, some 85,000 new jobs would be created and between 1 million and 4.5 million Americans lifted out of poverty.
No Republican House member voted in favor of the Grayson amendment. And Florida Reps. Daniel Webster (10th District), John Mica (7th District), Dennis Ross (15th District) and Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District), among others, voted not to increase the minimum wage. (See the full list of House Representatives who voted ‘no’ here).*
Meanwhile, earlier today, House Democrats rolled out a 100-day action plan dubbed ‘Middle Class Jumpstart,’ which aims at putting the middle class above special interests. But the Democrats must first take back the House.
Among the elements of the ‘Middle Class Jumpstart’ plan are, the introduction of the “21st Century Make It In America Act” to provide tax incentives for creating good-paying jobs in the U.S.; the “Build America Bonds Act” to boost job growth and modernize America’s crumbling infrastructure and paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes and passing the “Fair Minimum Wage Act” and the “CEO/Employee Pay Fairness Act” to deny CEOs the ability to claim tax deductions for pay over $1 million unless they give their employees a raise.
* This story was updated to include the final vote results on the minimum wage amendment.
100-DAY ACTION PLAN TO PUT THE MIDDLE CLASS FIRST
