President Obama will announce an executive order to raise the minimum wage for certain workers during his State of the Union address, the White House said Tuesday morning.
The action would raise the minimum wage for individuals working on new federal contracts — janitors and construction workers, for instance — to $10.10 per hour. That’s the same dollar figure included in a proposal from Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) that would raise the federal minimum wage, which the White House said the president would continue to advocate.
“The President is using his executive authority to lead by example, and will continue to work with Congress to finish the job for all Americans by passing the Harkin-Miller bill,” a White House statement read.
The move can be construed as part of the president’s planned “year of action,” during which he will use the executive branch’s reach to work around political difficulties — and legislative prerogatives — where possible.
“We’re not just going to be waiting for legislation in order to make sure that we’re providing Americans the kind of help they need. I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone,” Obama said earlier this month during a meeting of his cabinet. Press Secretary Jay Carney has backed that rhetoric from the White House briefing room.
“You can be sure that the president fully intends to use his executive authority to use the unique powers of the office to make progress on economic opportunity, to make progress in the areas that he believes are so important to further economic growth and further job creation,” Carney said Monday.
Republican leadership has criticized the White House’s approach, questioning its use of power and effectiveness.
“The president says he wants to make this ‘a year of action.’ Well, sounds good,” Boehner quipped Tuesday morning, before arguing that a better ‘year of action’ would include working with Congress to promote trade, the Keystone XL Pipeline, and House-passed jobs bills that have received little notice in the Democratic-controlled Senate. “We’re going to watch very closely, because there’s a Constitution that we all take an oath to, including him, and following the Constitution is the basis for House Republicans.”
In addition to the congressional workarounds that the president is expected to tout Tuesday night and pursue throughout the year, the White House has used executive power to stay atop non-economic issues, as well. The vice-president’s office announced already this month two proposed actions pertaining to states sharing mental health information with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
