July 26th marked the 6-year anniversary of the last time the minimum wage was increased. Over the last few decades, cost of living has continued to rise while the minimum wage has been stagnant. As a result, workers with full-time jobs that pay minimum wage are no longer able to provide for their families. Income inequality in America has grown and wealth has become more concentrated in the hands of fewer Americans.
Addressing this issue is central to establishing wage equality for all workers but particularly women, as female employees are 60% more likely to be paid minimum wage than male employees.
I have consistently supported federal and local initiatives to increase the minimum wage, and was pleased to see the President institute an executive order that will raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour for those working on new federal contracts.
In the current Congress, I am a proud original co-sponsor of the Raise the Wage Act introduced by Senator Patty Murray and Education and Workforce Chairman Bobby Scott. This legislation would raise the minimum wage nationwide to $12.00 per hour by 2020. As our economy continues to recover from the Great Recession, we need policies that support investing in our workforce to ensure that everyone is sharing in the recovery. Increasing the national minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020 would do so by making sure that hardworking employees earn a living wage.
In the 113th Congress, I supported raising the minimum wage both by cosponsoring the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 and by signing a discharge petition on raising the federal minimum wage.
My father, who worked as a baggage handler for United Airlines decades ago, made more money than someone doing the same job today. We need to ensure that American workers earn enough to support their families and make ends meet. I am committed to working with my colleagues so that the basic American premise still holds true — that if you work hard and are responsible, no matter the circumstances of your birth, you will have the chance to pursue your ambitions and achieve your full potential.
On June 25, 2015, Congressman Dave Reichert and Congressman Adam Smith reintroduced legislation that would establish the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area. This designation would help to preserve our region’s scenic natural lands and wildlife habitat, while also recognizing its economic benefit through the promotion of outdoor recreation, tourism, and agriculture.
Just days after the reintroduction of the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Act, the legislation received broad support from several organizations, community groups, and local elected officials. The diverse coalition of organizations and community members supporting this effort speaks to the value our community places on protecting our environment for generations to come. Below are statements of support for the Act, as well as an excerpt from Crosscut’s recent feature on the legislation and efforts to support it.
Les Welsh, Regional Executive Director, Pacific Regional Center, National Wildlife Federation
“We applaud Congressman Smith’s efforts to designate the Mountains to Sound Greenway and add important public recognition to a space that is enormously valuable to both people and wildlife in the backyard of the Washington’s largest metropolitan area.”
Councilmember Larry Gossett, King County
“The creation of the Greenway has been a major effort that King County has taken the lead on over the past 20 years, investing well over $100 million in land acquisition and recreational development.”
Josh Brown, Executive Director, Puget Sound Regional Council
“The Mountains to Sound Greenway is an important component of VISION 2040, the region’s integrated strategy to ensure the well-being of people and communities, economic vitality, and a healthy environment as we grow.”
Gene Duvernoy, Executive Director, Forterra
“Such a designation will further empower a consensus-based approach for the continued care and improvement of the Greenway—a model proven successful by the remarkable achievements of the Greenway coalition over the last 20 years. It is yet another means of achieving the goals of the Cascade Agenda and ensuring a livable place for us all.”
Terri Butler, Executive Director, Sustainable Seattle
“We at Sustainable Seattle have found that our members grew to appreciate the earth and the importance of keeping it healthy through their own personal positive experiences in the outdoors, either as children or later in life”
Patrick Bannon, President, Bellevue Downtown Association
“Bellevue residents and businesses benefit from having world-class recreation at our doorstep. The Greenway is an attraction for top employers and talent, helping to keep our local and regional economy strong.”
Bruce Bassett, Mayor, City of Mercer Island
“As a city within the Mountains to Sound Greenway, Mercer Island shares the vision of a connected landscape extending from the shores of Puget Sound, across the Cascade crest and into the central portion of Washington State, providing scenic beauty, outstanding recreation and a high quality of life for this region.”
Elizabeth Stewart, Executive Director, Renton Historical Society
“This area exemplifies the rich and storied history of our region, and we support recognizing the uniqueness of this region by designating the Greenway with a fitting national label.”
Janet Ray, Assistant Vice President, AAA Washington, Bellevue
National Heritage Area designation will create a framework that will provide a higher profile and enhanced reputation for this corridor and allow it to become even more a destination for heritage and recreational travelers, a goal of our company since its inception.”
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following comments after the Administration announced it has reached a deal on Iran’s nuclear program:
I applaud the Administration for all of its hard work. From the harsh sanctions that brought Iran to the table, to the strenuous and lengthy negotiations that have brought us to this point, the Administration has worked tirelessly to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
I look forward to thoroughly reviewing the agreement announced today. We cannot let our desire for a deal allow us to accept a bad deal. And we cannot allow politics to stand in the way of a good deal. In the coming days, Congress will have the opportunity to scrutinize the deal presented today. It is my hope that Congress takes advantage of this time to honestly review the deal and determine whether it is in the best interest of the United States to move forward. This potential agreement comes on the heels of a long history of mistrust and cheating by Iran. Consolation with our allies and a strong inspections and verification regime will be vital to the success of this agreement.
Again, I applaud the Obama Administration for the progress it has made thus far and look forward to reviewing this agreement in far greater detail.
Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) released the following statement on the President’s proposal to increase the overtime threshold from $23,660 to $50,440:
I applaud the President for taking action to extend overtime pay protections. This proposal will allow 5 million American workers to take home the money they have earned. The overtime threshold has not been raised in decades, and in the meantime income inequality has increased and average workers have been feeling squeezed. Now, the bottom 90 percent of Americans own just 23 percent of total U.S. wealth.
We must be doing more to invest in the worker to build a strong middle class. I will continue to work and advocate for policies that respect workers and the dignity of work. This change by President Obama is a step in the right direction.
Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges:
Friday’s decision by the Supreme Court is a victory for justice and equality. Ensuring marriage equality for all Americans regardless of who they love strengthens families, communities, and our nation as a whole. I stand with the LGBT community and the rest of our country in celebrating this monumental step towards equality.
Today, we celebrate this victory, but we must remain committed to fighting for LGBT equality. Despite the ruling today, significant work remains to ensure equal rights to the LGBT community. LGBT people are still denied work, bulled in our schools, and homelessness and poverty rates are still unacceptably high among LGBT people. I will continue to advocate and fight for policies that ensure equality and justice for the LGBT community.
Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) released the following statement regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s revised plan to limit family detention:
The Department of Homeland Security’s revised plan for family detention again fails to address the real issue. We must end family detention, not mend it. Jailing children and mothers has devastating impacts on these families and in order to truly fix this problem we must implement more sensible, humane, and cost-effective alternatives to detention. Our government must get out of the business of detaining families.
Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement opposing Trade Promotion Authority:
Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), as they are currently being discussed, do not do enough to protect workers and the environment at home and abroad.
The biggest problem facing our economy is a vanishing middle class. Corporations are incentivized to value customers, shareholders, and executives over their workers resulting in less take home pay and benefits. This is evidenced by the bottom 90 percent of Americans owning just 23 percent of total U.S. wealth. TPA and TPP are far from the only or even largest contributors, but they provide the wrong incentives allowing corporations to grow and benefit from undervaluing workers both here and abroad.
This trade framework is skewed to benefit corporations; an example of this is the investor-state dispute settlement. This mechanism gives corporations the private right to sue countries directly for what they may deem to be discriminatory, unfair, or arbitrary treatment by the host government. Meanwhile, workers do not have the same right to action should a country violate its worker or environmental obligations under the agreement. For example, if a corporation perceives that it is negatively impacted by a country’s enactment of a safety or environmental protection law it has the right to sue that country. However, violations brought by labor or environmental groups must go through a long and cumbersome process through the U.S. Government that can take several years.
I believe in the benefits of trade and I have supported trade promotion authority and many trade deals in the past. But I voted against the Central American Free Trade Agreement precisely because it lacked protections for labor and the environment. In 2007, the May 10th Agreement was reached and it provided enforceable protections for workers and the environment. However, the promises of this agreement have not yet been fully realized and much more work is left to be done. Although on paper enforcement standards have improved, our government has not demonstrated to American and international workers its commitment to fully doing the job.
I often hear an argument in support of TPA and TPP that if we don’t set the rules in Asia and the Pacific, China will do so. Although clearly better than China’s, our record is not stellar either. The 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh killed over 1,100 garment workers and injured 2,000 more due to a failure to ensure safe working conditions for workers. There were several American companies whose products were made at that factory by subcontractors with terrible labor and safety practices. Corporations should not skirt their responsibilities by using willful ignorance or global supply chains as an excuse to absolve them of their responsibility to ensure the health and safety of workers.
Currency manipulation is another problem that remains unaddressed. Until we find an effective way to ensure that other countries cannot devalue their currency to boost their exports, U.S. gains from trade will be limited. Finding a solution to currency manipulation matters to American workers and businesses. This agreement does not address this issue in a meaningful way.
These concerns aside, I would be more inclined to support a trade deal if I believed that American and global corporate culture was committed to paying workers fairly and ensuring their safety in the workplace. However, skyrocketing executive pay and huge stock buybacks at the expense of worker compensation convince me that there is an insufficient commitment to preserving the middle class. Too many businesses value executives, shareholders, and customers over workers, who today are not being adequately compensated for the work they do.
I grew up in the SeaTac area where my father worked as a ramp serviceman for United Airlines and my mother stayed at home to raise the family. As a blue collar worker in the 1980s, my father was a member of the union and was paid $16 an hour with benefits. His job allowed him to provide for my family and to support my educational and professional goals. Unfortunately, his job today would pay only $9.73, making it impossible for a family to enjoy the financial security and upward mobility mine did.
Trade agreements should create sound incentives and reinforce business cultures that value workers, as they have the ability to help spread these practices worldwide. We must do more to support the companies in the 9th District and around the country that are doing so already. Unfortunately, Wall Street and trade deals too often reward these companies’ competitors that improve their bottom line by shortchanging their employees–many of whom are not being adequately compensated for their work.
In voting against TPA, it is my hope the Administration will take a step back and better engage on strengthening compliance with worker and environmental protections through trade agreements. When I supported trade agreements in the past, I believed the commitment to strong enforcement would result in tangible improvements. I want to be able to support future trade agreements, but until our record improves, these deals will fail to deliver on their promise of shared economic prosperity for American businesses and workers.
Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement upon hearing that Nestora Salgado was on a hunger strike:
“It is unacceptable for the Mexican government to continue to imprison Nestora Salgado in conditions that fail to protect her life and physical integrity. Nestora’s health continues to deteriorate and without immediate action by the Mexican government, Nestora’s life is truly at risk.
“The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, United Nations human rights experts, a Mexican federal court, and many civil society groups in the United States and Mexico have all called for immediate action by the Mexican government to protect Nestora, which is long overdue.
“We urge the United States government to take immediate action to secure Nestora’s release on humanitarian grounds. Nestora has been deprived from due process and justice by the Mexican government and we will continue to do all we can to ensure that she receives it.”
Ms. Salgado is a resident of Renton, WA who was arrested for her leadership in community police group in her hometown of Olinalá in the state of Guerrero, which has a long tradition of legally-recognized community self-defense groups. As her Members of Congress, Congressman Smith and Senator Murray have been working with Nestora’s family and her legal representation at Seattle University to help secure her release. They have joined to send letters to the State Department to bring attention to the case and ensure Nestora can safely return to her family.
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith offered an amendment during markup of the FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) designed to allow DREAMers an opportunity to serve in the military and earn permanent legal status. While the amendment was withdrawn on procedural grounds, Smith pledged to continue to push the legislation as the NDAA process continues.
The amendment, modeled after the ENLIST Act, would authorize the enlistment in the armed forces of undocumented immigrants who have been continuously present in the United States, were younger than 15 years of age when they initially entered the United States and are otherwise eligible for original enlistment in the Armed Forces.
On April 30th, Congressman Smith became a cosponsor of the Raise the Wage Act introduced by Senator Patty Murray and Ed & Workforce Chairman Bobby Scott. This legislation would raise the minimum wage nationwide to $12.00 per hour by 2020. Congressman Smith released the following statement in support of the bill:
“As our economy continues to recover from the Great Recession, we need policies that support investing in our workforce to ensure that everyone is sharing in the recovery. A large part of this is making sure that employees earn a living wage. This legislation would help do so by increasing the national minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020.
“Studies have shown that the fall in minimum wage over the last 30 years has led to an increase in inequality between median wage earners and workers at the bottom of the wage ladder. Addressing this issue is central to establishing wage equality for all workers but particularly women, as female employees are 60% more likely to be paid minimum wage than male employees.”
Besides increasing the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $12.00 by the year 2020, this bill would also index the minimum wage to the median wage starting in 2021, and eliminate the tipped minimum wage gradually by raising the cash wage from the current $2.13 per hour to match the regular minimum wage.