7 Quotes From Democratic Lawmakers on Abolishing the Federal Minimum Wage

The idea of abolishing the federal minimum wage would seem terrifying to some people, especially low-income workers. Many Democrats point out the importance of the law.

Here are seven quotes from Democrats on the issue:

1. New York Sen. Chuck Schumer told reporters Democrats would keep trying to raise the minimum wage. "The minimum wage, even if it doesn't affect you and your families, it's an issue of basic fairness. Whose side are you on?" reports Real Clear Politics.

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2. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi stated, "Congress should act swiftly to pass common sense legislation to jump start the middle class and energize our economy: invest in building America, raise the minimum wage, help free our young people from the crushing weight of student debt, and unleash the full potential of women into our economy," reports The Washington Times.

3. "Even while corporate profits soar and the stock market reaches new highs, the working poor continue to fall further and further behind," says former Rep. George Miller of California, author of a bill to raise the minimum wage.

"If the Republicans want to take away a priority of service for low income Americans who want to learn new skills for a better job and a better life, the least we can do is make sure these workers get a decent wage."

4. "We are not going to compromise on locking people into poverty," Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada told KXAN News. He adds, "We'll compromise, but not on the number."

5. "If you're a mom with two kids you are earning $3,000 below the poverty line," New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told WBFO.

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"Which means your kids are at risk of not getting enough food, not getting the resources they need to thrive. And that's a problem."

6. "If you work in America you should be paid decently and if you work for the minimum wage you deserve a pay raise," Rep. Xavier Becerra of California told CNN.

7. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said focusing on the current rate is how political leaders should look at the federal minimum wage.

"The $1.60 an hour minimum wage in 1968 would be $10.68 now if it had been tied to inflation," he said, according to The Washington Times.

"We can get it to where inflation can take over, and we don't have to keep playing politics with it," he said. "Now, $10.10 is not acceptable to our Republican friends. Is there a pathway forward?"

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