WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, issued the following statement after voting against House Democrats Raise the Wage Act, which passed the House and would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour:

"The best way to raise workers' wages, pull people out of poverty, and put them on a path to prosperity is not through imposing big-government mandates that distort the market, burden small businesses, and, ultimately, put Americans out of work.