WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Donald Norcross (D-NJ) released the following statement on this month marking fifteen years since the last increase to the federal minimum wage:

"This month marks fifteen years since the last federal minimum wage increase, a staggering reminder of the hundreds of thousands of workers across the country who work hard yet still can't afford to make ends meet.

“I was once a young single dad working for minimum wage and raising my son, having to balance work, family life, and a checkbook. Back then, it was hard. Today, for far too many Americans, it's impossible. No American who works full-time should live in poverty.

"We all know that $7.25 an hour is not a livable wage, especially now that the spending power of one dollar is only 70 percent of what it was in 2009. I thought it was long past time we raised the minimum wage back then, and the fact that we still haven’t is a national embarrassment.

"We must raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour to provide a pay increase for nearly 40 million workers, lift millions out of poverty, and boost our economy. Shame on us for letting fifteen years go by without taking action. America’s workers deserve a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work."

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