Obama speech to challenge Congress on minimum wage

Obama speech to challenge Congress on minimum wage

WASHINGTON (AP) — Challenging lawmakers to help him create greater economic opportunity, President Barack Obama will use his State of the Union address today to announce he’s raising the minimum wage for new federal contract workers to $10.10 an hour, underscoring a go-it-alone strategy in an election year critical to Democrats’ hopes for gains in Congress. Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress will be wrapped in a unifying theme: The federal government can play a key role in increasing opportunities for Americans who have been left behind, unable to benefit from a recovering economy.