This is a cause for celebration for all Americans of all parties, all walks of life, all faiths. This bill represents the very best in our country. It will give 10 million Americans, as Cathy said, a chance to raise stronger families and build better futures. By coming together across lines that have too often divided us and finding common ground, we have made this a real season of achievement for the people of America. It's harder and harder to raise children today and harder and harder for people to succeed at home and at work.
Most parents have to work.
We must do both, and this bill helps us achieve that goal. These 10 million Americans will become part of America's economic success story. And, most importantly of all, perhaps, real hourly wages, which fell for a decade, have finally begun to rise again. America is on the move. But our challenge, my fellow Americans, is to make sure that every American can reap the rewards of a growing economy, every American has the tools to make the most of his or her own life, to build those strong families and to succeed at home and at work.