President Bush, refusing to compromise in his first major clash with Capitol Hill Democrats, said Friday he will veto any minimum wage bill that sets pay higher than $4.25 an hour and fails to include a lower "training" wage.
Bush, backed up by congressional Republicans, said his plan to raise the minimum wage over three years from $3.35 an hour to $4.25 an hour was not negotiable and represents "the maximum increase our economy could sustain without adverse consequences."The president issued his veto threat in a letter to Senate Republican leader Robert Dole of Kansas and expanded on his stand during a news conference as the Senate began the second day of deliberations on minimum wage legislation.
The Senate was expected to reach a final vote the middle of next week.
"We fired our best shot and last shot and only shot, first," Bush said, ruling out any compromise. "I have no intention of budging one inch on this and I've got too much at stake to change right now and I'm not going to."
Despite the threat of a veto, Senate Democrats introduced a new version of the minimum wage bill, which would be almost identical to the one approved by the House and unacceptable to Bush.
The revamped bill would raise the minimum wage to $4.55 over three years; provide a new, lower "training" wage for 60 days, and take effect Oct. 1 instead of Jan. 1, 1990.