Labor Secretary Nominee on Raising the Minimum Wage: ‘That Is an Issue for Congress’; We Don’t Want to ‘Shock the Economy’

EXCERPT:

CHAVEZ-DEREMER: “Well, I’m not sitting where you’re sitting, hypothetically, I used to, but not any longer. But I do recognize that the minimum wage hasn’t been raised since 2009 and the cost of living has gone up. But again, I cannot sit here and determine what that wage will be fully and fairly. I will enforce the law, but it will be up to Congress to determine because that is not in the purview of the Secretary of Labor. For instance, in Oregon, I know that in Portland, Oregon, that the minimum wage is almost $16 an hour, and that might work for Portland, but that’s not going to work for Grants Pass, Oregon. And I know that local communities, states determine what’s best for their economy. What we don’t want to do is shock the economy.”