Answering an appeal by U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison and other liberal lawmakers, President Obama will use his executive power to raise the minimum wage for workers on new government contracts.
Obama will formally announce his plans during his State of the Union address, while also renewing his call for Congress to pass legislation to raise the federal minimum wage for all workers from $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per hour by 2015.
"Working class people in Minneapolis and all over the country are dealing with debt and low pay," Ellison said in an interview with the Star Tribune prior to the White House announcement. "The president has to chart a reliable path toward economic security."
Ellison has spoken out frequently about the need for such action and joined low-wage worker rallies around the nation.
The Minnesota Democrat was among 50 members of Congress who signed letters to the president last year, urging him to circumvent Congress on the issue, to "provide labor stability for the low-wage workers on whom these federal agencies rely to fulfill their mission." Ellison personally handled one of those letters to Obama.
During an interview on News-Talk Radio 1130-AM, Republican U.S. Rep. John Kline said he found Obama's use of unilateral presidential authority "disturbing."
"He's got a pretty solid record of doing that," Kline said. "To threaten more of that, is not helpful."
Last week, Minneaplis Mayor Betsy Hodges heard a preview of Obama's plans to bypass Congress.
