WASHINGTON -- White House officials confirmed Friday that one of the reasons President Obama decided to visit Minnesota next week was because of the state's recent minimum wage boost.
"We shouldn't have Americans raising their children in poverty," said White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, speaking to reporters at a roundtable. "A very important pillar of the foundation for a viable sustainable economy is having a living wage. We are extraordinarily supportive (of Minnesota) which is part of the reason why we're going there next week."
President Obama will also attend a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser at a private home with Minnesota's Congressional Democrats on Thursday.
White House officials have been mum about Obama's schedule beyond the fundraiser while he's in the Twin Cities. Local DFL officials say they expect the president to do at least one public event, as well.
Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton in April signed into the law the largest minimum wage increase in the state's history, giving raises to more than 325,000 Minnesotans. The move to a $9.50 base hourly wage catapults the state from one of the lowest minimum wages to one of the highest once it is fully phased in by 2016.
