DNC: Frist and Steele Leave Minimum Wage Workers Behind

For Immediate Release
June 22, 2006
Contact: Amaya Smith- 202-863-8148

Frist and Steele Leave Minimum Wage Workers Behind

Washington, DC- Today Republican Senate Leader Bill Frist will be in
Maryland stumping for Republican Michael Steele's senatorial campaign.
But Michael Steele will be hard pressed to explain where he stands on
Senator Frist's incompetent leadership and misplaced priorities. Just
yesterday Senator Frist voted against Democratic efforts to raise the
federal minimum wage, which has not been raised in a decade. Senator
Frist even went so far as to defeat the bill through partisan procedural
maneuvering, despite a majority of the Senate voting in favor of the
plan.

Minimum wage isn't the only priority where Senator Frist's leadership
has fallen flat. Under Frist the Republican Senate has suffered a number
of embarrassing policy defeats including their failure to push for
comprehensive plans on health care, energy and immigration. Instead of
focusing his energies on the priorities of the American people, Senator
Frist has taken a page out of Karl Rove's playbook of distracting and
dividing Americans with an agenda of misplaced priorities.

With 77 percent of Americans in favor of raising the minimum wage, why
would Michael Steele align himself with someone so out of touch with the
priorities and values of Marylanders? In Maryland 4.5% of workers would
have benefited from increasing the minimum wage to $7.25, which would
make a significant difference in the lives of over 115,000 workers.


"Michael Steele can't run away from the failed record of Senate
Republicans and their misplaced priorities which are totally out of line
with the values of Marylanders and the American people," said Democratic
National Committee spokesperson Amaya Smith. "While Marylanders are
working hard to make a decent living, Senator Frist and his Republican
colleagues are preoccupied with the politics of division and
distraction. Democrats remain committed to a bold agenda that puts
America's working families first, raises the minimum wage and works to
unite, not divide, Americans through our shared values."

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