Obama unveiled a proposal to increase the federal minimum wage from USD 7.25 to USD 10.10 an hour in his State of the Union address in January as he set about closing income disparity -- an increasingly important theme in US politics.
But rival Republicans have long argued that raising the minimum wage would hurt the economy and employment because it would prompt small businesses to tighten belts and lay off some workers.
"But right now a worker earning the federal minimum wage makes about USD 14,500 a year. And you all know that's incredibly hard for an individual to live on, let alone raise a family on.
"But if we raise the minimum wage to USD 10.10 an hour, that same worker will be making USD 20,200 a year -- and with existing tax credits would earn enough to bring that family or a family of four out of poverty.
In January, Obama urged Congress to raise the federal minimum wage. A congressional watchdog says that it could lift 900,000 people above the poverty line but may cost half a million jobs.
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