WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked a measure that would have allowed debate on the Minimum Wage Fairness Act:

Republicans in the Senate turned their backs on millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet today. But while this measure failed today, we won’t give up the fight for working families in this country. Raising the 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. That will give local economies a big boost. The Senate GOP’s refusal to even allow debate on a bill to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour is just another sad example of just how far the Tea Party has dragged the Republican party from Main Street American values. In my own state, Governor Malloy did the right thing and gave Connecticut’s hardworking men and women a raise, and the state is better off for it. Senate Republicans should remember who they work for and take a stand for the middle class families they represent. I’ll push my colleagues in the Senate to revisit this legislation in the coming months.