Sen. John Thune said Wednesday there is “low-hanging fruit” to stimulate job growth — the Keystone XL oil pipeline project for one — that would help Americans climb out of tough economic times without accepting a Democrat-led bid to increase the minimum wage.
“If you want more jobs, you want more employment, you don’t raise the price of it,” Mr. Thune, South Dakota Republican, told MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
He was responding to a Congressional Budget Office report released Tuesday that said raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour will cost the U.S. economy a half-million jobs by 2016 but will substantially boost wages for most low-income workers.
Republicans predicted that the CBO report will bolster opposition on Capitol Hill, where the issue is likely to come up for votes in the next few weeks.
Mr. Thune said projects that directly create jobs would be more effective than a bureaucratic approach out of Washington.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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