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WASHINGTON -- Hillary Clinton focused on the problem of stagnant middle-class wages on Monday in the first major economic policy speech of her presidential campaign.

In sweeping remarks at the progressive New School in New York City, the Democratic candidate said that higher wages are driven by strong, fair and long-term growth, offering policy proposals that fit into each of those three categories. Clinton praised the policies pursued by President Barack Obama, but suggested that more needs to be done to help middle-class families. Her message echoed themes espoused by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has made her mark on the Democratic Party by arguing that the economy is rigged against the middle class.

Clinton's speech also name-checked three of the leading Republican presidential hopefuls -- former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio -- and criticized their economic philosophies.

At the beginning of her address, Clinton suggested that the economy is "not delivering the way that it should" for the middle class.

"It still seems to most Americans that I have spoken with that it is stacked for those at the top," Clinton said, criticizing the concept of trickle-down economics for concentrating wealth at the top while leaving middle- and lower-income Americans with less.

"Twice now a Democratic president has had to come in and clean up the mess left behind," she said, praising the economic records of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and Obama. "We have to build a growth and fairness economy -- you can't have one without the other."

Though Clinton lauded Obama for saving the automobile industry, proposing new rules for overtime pay and passing the Dodd-Frank and Affordable Care Acts, the crux of the speech was that other policies that could further boost paychecks have yet to be enacted.

"The defining economic challenge of our time is clear: We must raise incomes for hardworking Americans so they can afford a middle-class life," Clinton said. "We must drive strong and steady income growth that lifts up families and lifts up our country."

Progressives have criticized the former secretary of state for not coming out against the Trans-Pacific Partnership being pushed by the Obama administration. While Monday's speech did not add to the remarks Clinton has already made on the subject, she did say that the expansion in global trade has hollowed out America's manufacturing industry. She added that the United States needs to "set a high bar for trade agreements" but also "be prepared to walk away" if the agreements don't meet the administration's standards.

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Hillary Clinton Focuses On Middle-Class Wages In Sweeping ...