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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol July 10, 2014 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

WASHINGTON -- Hoping to motivate their most loyal supporters, Democrats may hold a campaign-season Senate vote as soon as next week on their effort to boost the federal minimum wage, Senate aides and lobbyists said Wednesday.

The Senate may also revisit a pair of other Democratic measures this month that, like minimum wage, were blocked by Republicans earlier this year. One would let people refinance student loans at lower interest rates while the other would pressure employers to pay female workers the same as men.

All three measures seem assured of defeat, especially given the fact that Republicans control the House of Representatives. But with less than eight weeks until congressional elections in which Republicans hope to capture Senate control, Democrats and their supporters see the issues as a chance to appeal to working-class, female and younger voters - groups that often back Democratic candidates - and contributors as well.

Looking to bolster fellow Democrats, President Barack Obama used a Labor Day speech in Milwaukee on Monday to emphasize improvements in the economy and renew his push for an increase, saying, "America deserves a raise."

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In a Labor Day speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the president chided Republicans for not helping him pass policies that benefit working-class Amer...

"I've got a vision of an economy where opportunity is open to everybody who's willing to work hard," the president said. "I want an economy where your hard work pays off with higher wages and higher incomes and fair pay for women and workplace flexibility for parents, and affordable health insurance and decent retirement benefits. I'm not asking for the moon! I just want a good deal for American workers."

Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said no decisions have been made on holding the votes.

But other aides and lobbyists said Democratic leaders hope to stage the votes during what is expected to be a brief pre-election session of Congress scheduled to end by Sept. 23. Congress returns Monday from its summer recess.

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Senate Democrats eye new votes on minimum wage, equal pay for women

Need Some Inspiration for our VLInnovators Challenge?
See how one group of immigrants created a web-based app that tells you where your representative stands on immigration reform. Do you have a tech idea? Apply for the #VLInnovators challenge...

By: Voto Latino

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Need Some Inspiration for our VLInnovators Challenge? - Video

Rep. Grijalva on ISIS and Presidential Action on Immigration Reform

By: RaulGrijalvaAZ07

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Rep. Grijalva on ISIS and Presidential Action on Immigration Reform - Video

September 3, 2014 By FAIR Gov't Relations Team 1 Comment

As American children across the country head back to school this fall, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has finally released county level data on the numbers of unaccompanied alien minors who will be joining them after being released to "sponsors" throughout the United States. The table released by HHS last week shows each county where 50 or more minors have been released to [Read More]

September 2, 2014 By Eric Ruark 10 Comments

September is coming and so is the start of a new school year. This year, there will be almost 37,000 unaccompanied alien minors who will be enrolling in public school in the United States. These kids will require special Limited English Proficient (LEP) classes conducted in Spanish, or in other languages indigenous to Central American, as well as other taxpayer funded services, such as free [Read More]

September 2, 2014 By Dan Stein 2 Comments

Texas Guard Troops Assist Border Patrol "As of last week, 400 guardsmen had arrived. A total of 1,000 are expected to gather in the coming weeks, concentrated in this stretch of border on Texas's southernmost tip, running through the Rio Grande Valley from Brownsville to McAllen. This region has been seen as especially vulnerable to illegal crossings," the Washington Post writes in a story about [Read More]

August 29, 2014 By Adrienne Royer 4 Comments

Noted investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson recently spoke with FAIRs president, Dan Stein, about the secretive reactions of the federal government to the border crisis. During the news segment Attkisson explains: The government has abruptly shut down operations at Fort Sill in Oklahoma and two other military bases that sheltered more than 7,700 minors the government refers to as [Read More]

August 29, 2014 By Dan Stein 11 Comments

Warning Issued of Possible Terrorist Activity at Border "Islamic terrorist groups are operating in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and planning to attack the United States with car bombs or other vehicle born improvised explosive devices (VBIED). High-level federal law enforcement, intelligence and other sources have confirmed to Judicial Watch that a warning bulletin for an imminent [Read More]

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Immigration Reform Blog

Immigration rights advocates are pushing President Obama to brush aside calls from fellow Democrats to delay executive action on deportations until after the election.

"I say to the Democrats: Stand aside," Rep. Luis Gutirrez (D-Ill.) said during a press call Wednesday. "Let the president make a decision; let him announce it; and stop this stopping the progress of our community towards justice."

Other advocates piled on.

"Right now, Republicans own letting the country down on delivering a solution," she added. "If some Democrats step in to prevent executive action, then the Democrats will co-own that inaction and the devastation that continues to be wreaked on our communities."

In June, Obama warned GOP leaders that, in the absence of congressional action on immigration reform, he would consider unilateral policy changes recommended by top administration officials "before the end of the summer" and adopt them "without further delay."

But a number of Senate Democrats facing tough reelection bids have pushed back against that plan, wary that new executive actions will energize GOP voters who oppose immigration reform and feel Obama is prone to abusing his powers.

"The best thing would be for Congress to act," Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who's battling for a fourth term, said last month.

The White House in recent days has walked back Obamas "end of the summer promise, insisting there is no timetable for potential executive action.

"It's hard for me to draw any clear conclusions about what the president's timing will be," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Tuesday. "There is the chance that it could be before the end of the summer. There is the chance that it could be after the summer."

Gutirrez and other immigrant rights advocates say any delay would be a mistake both politically and in policy terms. They noted that Democrats benefitted at the polls in 2012, just a few months after Obama adopted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which halted deportations for some illegal immigrants brought to the country as kids and predicted a similar outcome if Obama acted again ahead of this year's midterms.

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Immigration advocates to Obama: Dont let Dems stand in the way