Move to Raise Minimum Wage Divides GOP

The apparent inevitability that Congress will vote this year to raise the minimum wage has opened deep divisions within Republican ranks, with many lawmakers still adamantly opposed to a Democratic initiative that has been grudgingly embraced by Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas and House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).

Dole and Gingrich are searching for ways to turn the minimum wage--a key election-year Democratic priority--into a political Trojan horse by loading it with GOP-favored initiatives before allowing a vote. But many in the Republican rank and file say no amount of partisan freight will make the measure acceptable to them, because they believe it betrays a fundamental GOP tenet.

After flatly opposing a minimum-wage increase for months, Dole, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, and Gingrich have succumbed to Democratic pressure to allow floor votes in the Senate and House on a proposal endorsed by President Clinton to increase the base wage to $5.15 per hour from the current $4.25.

The two congressional leaders have indicated they could support a higher minimum wage if the increase is part of a broader measure containing one or more GOP legislative priorities, such as a $500-per-child family tax credit, a commitment to balance the budget, or a reduction in the earned income tax credit claimed by the poor.

Conservatives traditionally oppose minimum-wage increases on grounds that they represent unwarranted government intrusion in the private market and reduce the availability of low-wage jobs. But with public support running heavily in favor of the initiative during an election year, many Republicans have indicated they will feel compelled to vote for an increase if the issue reaches the floor, making passage seem likely.

Gingrich’s willingness to entertain a minimum-wage increase has antagonized his influential second-in-command, Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), according to senior staff members. The two have exchanged angry words over the subject.

Armey said Tuesday that there is “no way” the leadership could introduce legislation that includes a minimum-wage increase and “have me stand up and vote for it.”

“It’s a cruel hoax on the least-advantaged workers in the system,” he said.

Dole and Gingrich have been discussing the possible scope of a minimum-wage package in closed-door meetings, but no decisions are expected this week, according to their spokesmen.

Only in recent days has it become clear that a minimum-wage increase has enough support to pass both chambers--if the leaders permit a vote. The turning point came late last week, when 20 House Republicans declared their support for an increase. In the Senate, eight Republicans have joined with all 47 Democrats to call for a vote on the increase, more than enough to secure passage.

Conservative analysts say the Democrats’ strategic victory on the minimum wage reflects the majority party’s failure to regain its footing after bruising defeats on its budget and other key parts of its legislative agenda last year.

Republicans who said they believe a minimum-wage hike is all but certain expressed hope that GOP leaders schedule a vote as soon as possible to diffuse the political benefits Democrats have been reaping from the issue.

The issue has become a political problem for Dole. He has been forced several times to use parliamentary maneuvers to avoid floor votes on a minimum-wage hike.