CAMBRIDGE, Md. -- House Democrats announced on Thursday that they will attempt to force a vote on a bill that would raise the minimum wage, a move aimed at highlighting Republican resistance to the legislation.
At their Maryland retreat, Democrats said they would push for a "discharge petition" in the coming weeks to force a vote on legislation that would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.
The discharge petition, which would need the signatures of a majority of the House of Representatives to be effective, will likely not succeed in forcing a vote on the floor. But it will become a consistent Democratic political talking point for the next nine months leading up to the November elections.
"This is about contrast and it is about priorities, and the minimum wage is one of the illuminating contrasts that we have and will be a defining issue over the next nine months," Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., said.