Conservative Josh Hawley introduces bill to raise federal minimum wage to $15 an hour
WASHINGTON - Ultraconservative Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill on June 10 with Democratic Vermont Sen. Peter Welch to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, making him one of the few Republicans to support the cause.
The bill, dubbed the 'Higher Wages for American Workers Act,' would raise the minimum wage starting in January 2026 and allow it to increase on the basis of inflation in subsequent years. The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 per hour and it's been unchanged since 2009.
It is unclear whether the legislation will be taken up for a vote.
Members of Congress have previously tried to raise the minimum wage, but to no avail. In 2021, Democratic lawmakers tried to tack a $15 per hour minimum wage provision in former President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus package, but a Senate official ruled that the measure couldn't be included in the bill.
President Donald Trump said in December 2024 that he would 'consider' raising the minimum wage. However, he revoked a 2024 executive order that set the minimum wage for federal contractors at $17.75.
'For decades, working Americans have seen their wages flatline," Hawley said in a statement. One major culprit of this is the failure of the federal minimum wage to keep up with the economic reality facing hardworking Americans every day."
Welch, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, echoed a similar sentiment. 'Every hardworking American deserves a living wage that helps put a roof over their head and food on the table–$7.25 an hour doesn't even come close,' he said.
The Employment Policies Institute, a think tank dedicated to researching employment growth, opposed Hawley and Welch's push, arguing that it would result in a loss of jobs.
'Sen. Hawley should know better,' Rebekah Paxton, research director of the institute, said in a news release. 'This proposal would more than double the minimum wage and slash over 800,000 jobs. An overwhelming majority of economists agree that drastic minimum wage hikes cut employment, limit opportunities for workers, and shutter businesses.'
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found in an analysis that raising the minimum wage would 'raise the earnings and family income of most low-wage workers' but would cause other low-income workers to lose their jobs and their family income to fall.
Hawley in February teamed up with progressive firebrand Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to introduce a bill capping credit card interest rates at 10%, saying it would "provide meaningful relief to working people." He's also been a vocal critic of Medicaid cuts.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Josh Hawley introduces bill to raise federal minimum wage to $15
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
37 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
With Zohran Mamdani's win in New York, voters spoke. Is the Democratic establishment listening?
Advertisement Even Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who pushed for Cuomo's resignation in 2021 after a state investigation concluded that he Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up A majority of voters rejected Cuomo in a primary with a larger than usual turnout on a day that was Advertisement Mamdani's victory — and, to be clear, he still needs to win the November election to become New York's next mayor — shows that Democratic voters are tired of the same old faces in the same old places. They want to vote for, and not just against, someone, and that's what Mamdani represents across a spectrum of voters and communities. His win recalls 2018, when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also a democratic socialist, defeated Joe Crowley, a 10-term New York incumbent, to become, at 29, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Later that year, Ayanna Pressley, the first Black woman elected to the Boston City Council, was also elected to Congress, besting Michael Capuano, who had represented the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District since 1999. Pressley, who trailed Capuano in the polls right up to the election but That could be what voters want from Mamdani — a different kind of leader who is relatable, engaging, and dynamic. He spoke with people, not to them. And he presented economic policies like rent freezes and free buses that ordinary New Yorkers — not billionaires — could embrace and understand. Meanwhile, Cuomo borrowed the GOP's politics of fear and tried to scare everyone to death. He Advertisement The former governor's dismissive tone had the tinny echo of Maybe voters didn't want a political nepo baby running on familiarity and name recognition. Maybe they rejected a man who left his previous job in disgrace over credible sexual harassment accusations. Or perhaps people needed the light and hope Mamdani offers in these difficult times instead of Cuomo's doom and darkness. In a CNN interview, Democrat Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said, 'I know that this feels like a shock to a lot of folks but it doesn't seem like rocket science. [Mamdani is] focused on reordering economic power, he's dynamic, and he's a new voice. Check, check, check.' Democrats don't need a wildly popular podcaster, someone who could be their liberal Joe Rogan, to win again. They need candidates who generate passion and stand fast for the values of equity and justice that the Democratic establishment espouses but abandons when elections don't go their way. Related : Mamdani's road to Gracie Mansion — the New York mayor's residence — won't be easy. Cuomo appears likely to run an independent campaign, which is what Eric Adams, the problematic President Trump-appeasing incumbent, already has done. Mamdani will continue to face baseless accusations of antisemitism as well as hostility from bellicose billionaires like Advertisement So far, there's been more noise from Mamdani's detractors than from the leaders of the party he belongs to. They should recognize and replicate how he has connected, especially with young voters. In his Renée Graham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Trump threatens to support a primary challenger against GOP senator for opposing 'big, beautiful bill'
President Donald Trump on Saturday said he is looking for a GOP candidate to mount a primary challenge against Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., after the lawmaker announced he would not support the president's "big, beautiful bill." "Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against 'Senator Thom' Tillis," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America," he continued. "Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Tillis, who is up for re-election in 2026, came out against Trump's spending bill earlier on Saturday over concerns about deep cuts to Medicaid. The senator vowed not to support the measure through a procedural hurdle needed to kick off a marathon of debate and amendment voting that would eventually lead to a vote on the measure's final passage. As he was leaving the Senate GOP's closed-door lunch on Saturday, the North Carolina lawmaker said he has a "great relationship" with his colleagues, but that he could not support the colossal bill. "We just have a disagreement," he said. "And, you know, my colleagues have done the analysis, and they're comfortable with the impact on their states. I respect their choice. It's not a good impact in my state, so I'm not going to vote on the motion to proceed." The Senate cleared the hurdle late Saturday to start debate on the bill by a 51-49 vote. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was another Republican who joined Tillis in voting no. "Did Rand Paul Vote 'NO' again tonight? What's wrong with this guy???" Trump wrote on Truth Social. Senate Republicans hold a slim 53-47 majority and can only afford to lose three votes. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said earlier that she would help advance the bill through the first step, but was leaning against voting to pass the bill's final passage unless the legislation was "further changed." Collins and other initial GOP holdouts, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., voted to at least advance the legislation through the first key procedural hurdle. The latest version of the bill pushed back the provider rate crackdown by one year and also added another $25 billion for a rural hospital stabilization fund over the next five years. During a closed-door lunch earlier this week, Tillis reportedly warned that North Carolina could lose as much as $40 billion in Medicaid funding if the changes were codified. He is also planning to unveil further analysis on the impact of Medicaid cuts on his state that he said no one in the "administration or in this building" has been able to refute. "The president and I have talked, and I just told him that, 'Look, if this works for the country, that's great. And if my other colleagues have done extensive research and concluded it's different in their states, I respect that,'" he said. "We just have a disagreement based on the implementation in our respective states."
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
NYC, San Francisco and other US cities capping LGBTQ+ Pride month with a mix of party and protest
NEW YORK (AP) — The monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride reaches its rainbow-laden crescendo as New York and other major cities around the world host major parades and marches on Sunday. The festivities in Manhattan, home to the nation's oldest and largest Pride celebration, kick off with a march down Fifth Avenue featuring more than 700 participating groups and expected huge crowds. Marchers will wind past the Stonewall Inn , a Greenwich Village gay bar where a 1969 police raid triggered protests and fired up the LGBTQ+ rights movement . The site is now a national monument . In San Francisco, marchers in another of the world's largest Pride events will head down the city's central Market Street, reaching concert stages set up at the Civic Center Plaza. San Francisco's mammoth City Hall is also among the venues hosting a post-march party. Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis and Toronto, Canada are among the other major North American cities hosting Pride parades on Sunday. Several global cities including Tokyo, Paris and Sao Paulo , held their events earlier this month while others come later in the year, including London in July and Rio de Janeiro in November. The first pride march was held in New York City in 1970 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising . Pride celebrations are typically a daylong mix of jubilant street parties and political protest, but organizers said this year's iterations will take a more defiant stance than recent years. The festivities come days after the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark June 26, 2015, ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that recognized same-sex marriage nationwide. But Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, have sought to roll back LGBTQ+ friendly policies. Since taking office in January, Trump has specifically targeted transgender people, removing them from the military , preventing federal insurance programs from paying for gender-affirmation surgeries for young people and attempting to keep transgender athletes out of girls and women's sports . The theme for the Manhattan event is, appropriately, 'Rise Up: Pride in Protest.' San Francisco's Pride theme is 'Queer Joy is Resistance' while Seattle's is simply 'Louder.' 'This is not a time to be quiet,' Patti Hearn, Seattle Pride's executive director, said in a statement ahead of the event. 'We will stand up. We will speak up. We will get loud.' Among the other headwinds faced by gay rights groups this year is the loss of corporate sponsorship. American companies have pulled back support of Pride events, reflecting a broader walking back of diversity and inclusion efforts amid shifting public sentiment. NYC Pride said earlier this month that about 20% of its corporate sponsors dropped or reduced support, including PepsiCo and Nissan. Organizers of San Francisco Pride said they lost the support of five major corporate donors, including Comcast and Anheuser-Busch.
