A pair of Democratic lawmakers wants the president to raise the minimum wage paid to federal contract employees.

Reps. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., co-chairmen of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, wrote Obama a letter Dec. 4 asking him to issue an executive order to raise the minimum amount paid for workers on federal contracts.

The move, the lawmakers said, would impact more than 2 million workers.

"We believe the federal government should set a positive example and pay workers a living wage," the letter noted. "You have the ability to make a living wage a reality for millions of Americans, which will benefit their families and also spur needed economic growth."

Minimum wage has been a hot topic in Congress, where Republicans have resisted the president's effort to increase the amount paid to low-wage workers. Minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour; the president and Democrats said they'd like to see that raised to $10.10 per hour.

That doesn't mean President Obama is ready to take the step of singling out contract workers via executive order, according to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, who said the administration preferred an across-the-board change instead.

"This has always been done legislatively and it has been done with support from Republicans and not just Democrats in the past," Carney told Government Executive.

"(The president) thinks there is the opportunity, given the history here, given... the interest that has been expressed by some Republicans in getting this done, to do it and to demonstrate to the American people that we here in Washington can take action," Carney said.

According to a National Employment Law Project, more than seven out of 10 blue collar workers on government contracts earned less than $10 an hour.