“Clearly and simply, Congress must act to meet the needs of our constituents. We can do this by strengthening families and raising the minimum wage. » -- Paul Tonko Poverty continues to grow in America. The average minimum wage in the United States is $7.35 per hour, which is far too low in today's society. Major expenses, for example gasoline and housing prices, have increased significantly since the minimum wage was last changed in 2007 (Wagner 52). The laws creating the minimum wage were intended to improve living standards and reduce poverty. Raising the minimum wage is a critical step in reducing poverty and giving every family the opportunity to survive and succeed. Millions of hardworking Americans live below the poverty line and need a pay raise. The minimum wage must be increased because it will reduce poverty and help the working class provide for their families. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced a series of economic policies called The New Deal. One of these policies, known as the minimum wage, ensured that all American workers earned enough to support their families. The New Deal marked the beginning of federal wage controls to ensure that every worker could earn a living wage. The economic system was created by people, is maintained by people, and is constantly modified by people (Cunningham 52). In order to maintain a vibrant economy, the government must help the poor with their resources. Poor people are poor not because they are not working, but because the government has failed to provide American families with survival wages. Cost may be an issue, but the cost of subsidizing workers with low-wage jobs is higher (Kukathus 49). Recognizing ethics and trustworthiness...... middle of paper ......s, 2007.Gitterman, Paul. Increase salaries. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2010. Hart, Vivian. Bound by our Constitution. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994. Kukathas, Uma. The minimum wage. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Merino, Noel. Poverty and homelessness. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Morris, Jenny. The origins of minimum wage legislation. Aldershot, England: Gower, 2002. Moss, Alan. Selling American Democracy. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2008. Nordlund, Willis. The quest for a living wage. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997. Ramm, David. Jobs in America. Bronx, New York: H. W. Wilson, 2006. Stewart, Charles. Low-wage workers in a rich society. Chicago, IL: Nelson Hall, 2008. Wagner, Vicki. Poverty. Detroit, Michigan: Greenhaven Press, 2014