Raise the Minimum Wage? Our Lawmakers React
Posted at: 02/13/2013 5:41 PM
| Updated at: 02/13/2013 10:56 PM
By: Travis Dill
tdill@wdio.com
In his Tuesday night address President, Obama urged Congress to create middle-class jobs. Tuesday our federal lawmakers responded to his call for action.
One of the president's biggest proposals was for raising the minimum wage.
“Tonight let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth no one who works full-time should live in poverty and raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour,” President Obama said.
But our members of Congress are split on if that's a solution to the problem. It is a hard sell for Wisconsin Republican Sean Duffy.
“I'm concerned with any policy though that would potentially cause more unemployment,” Duffy said.
He supports raising wages, but thinks this move would put people out of work.
Democrat Al Franken supports raising the minimum wage and will review the president's proposal. Franken was also happy that Obama is calling for more worker training.
“I was gratified to hear the president talk about filling that skills gap. That we train people to fill the jobs that are sitting there waiting to be filled, but people don't have the skills to do it,” Franken said.
Duffy supports creating more jobs, but said the president's proposals would put the country further in debt.
“If we want to prioritize our spending on education let's talk about that, but then where does the money come from? The money shouldn't come from China. Let's stop borrowing money,” Duffy said.
The president said his economic proposals would not “increase the deficit by a single dime.”
Our federal lawmakers may have conflicting opinions, but they will have to work quickly to cut the deficit. Government spending cuts are looming just weeks away.
$85 billion will be removed from defense and domestic spending if those automatic cuts go into effect on March 1. Congress can avoid those cuts if they pass a budget plan with different cuts or tax increases.
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