WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement after President Obama signed an Executive Order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour for federal contract workers: 

Middle class wages just haven't kept pace with the cost of living in Connecticut or across the country. Since the beginning of the recession, costs of basic necessities like child care, electricity, and transportation have risen dramatically, but wages for the vast majority of workers have fallen. Raising the federal minimum wage will create jobs—it will put more cash into the pockets of the people who need it and who will also spend it in their communities. I applaud the President for leading with this action, and call on Congress to do the right thing and give all of America a raise too.