Latest news with #JoshHawley
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Minimum Wage To Change in 15 States, Cities on July 1: Here's Where
Hundreds of thousands of workers across the U.S. are set to get a pay bump starting July 1, as minimum wage increases take effect in more than a dozen states, cities, and counties. According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), more than 800,000 workers in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D.C. alone will see their baseline pay go up next month. Another dozen local jurisdictions-mostly in California-will also implement increases. The pay hikes come as the federal minimum wage remains stuck at $7.25 per hour, unchanged since 2009. With the cost of living continuing to rise, many states and cities have raised their own minimums through legislation, ballot measures or inflation adjustments. In Alaska, the minimum wage will rise by $1.09 to $13.00 an hour, an increase approved by voters through a ballot measure. EPI calculates the boost will affect 19,400 workers-about 6.3 percent of Alaska's workforce-and add an average of $925 per year to their paychecks. Washington, D.C. will raise its minimum by 45 cents to $17.95 an hour due to an automatic inflation adjustment, impacting an estimated 62,200 workers, or 7.5 percent of the city's workforce. The average worker there will earn about $727 more per year. In Oregon, about 801,700 workers-roughly 9.4 percent of the state's workforce-will see their minimum wage climb 35 cents to $15.05 an hour, also tied to inflation. That's an average annual increase of $420 per worker. Beyond those statewide and D.C. changes, minimum wages will increase in 12 cities and counties next month. That includes 10 cities and counties in California, with increases ranging from 45 to 59 cents an hour. New hourly rates will range from about $17.46 in Alameda to nearly $20 in Emeryville-one of the highest local minimum wages in the country. Cities including Berkeley and San Francisco will see their wages climb to $19.18 an hour, while workers in Los Angeles and surrounding areas will earn just under $18. Outside California, Chicago, Illinois, will boost its minimum wage by 40 cents, bringing it to $16.60 an hour. And in Maryland, Montgomery County will increase its minimum wage by 50 cents to $17.65 an hour. The EPI estimates that about 58 percent of workers benefiting from the July 1 hikes are women, while Black and Hispanic workers will also disproportionately gain. "These minimum wage increases will put more money in workers' pockets, helping many of them and their families make ends meet," EPI state economic analyst Sebastian Martinez Hickey said. "The average increase in annual wages for a full-time, year-round worker resulting from these minimum wage hikes ranges from $420 in Oregon to $925 in Alaska." Calls to raise the federal wage persist. This month, Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri and Democratic Senator Peter Welch of Vermont introduced a bipartisan bill to lift the federal minimum to $15 per hour-more than double the current rate. Starting July 1, employers will have to ensure they review the changes made in different cities to minimum wage rates and pay their employees accordingly. Related Articles Joe Rogan Trashes US Minimum Wage: 'Disgusting'California Cities To See Minimum Wage Change on July 1Donald Trump Weighs In on Plan To Increase Minimum WageLos Angeles Votes for $30 Minimum Wage 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
CNN
19 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Why the Senate Parliamentarian is at the center of a fierce debate over Trump's agenda bill
But some Republicans publicly lambasted MacDonough — with a few calling for her ouster — this week after she advised that some key money-saving policies couldn't be included in their massive tax and domestic policy bill, complicating passage of the measure that includes much of President Donald Trump's agenda ahead of the Fourth of July deadline the president has set. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin said MacDonough's rejection of some of the bill's provisions, most importantly one that would have forced states to shoulder more of the Medicaid funding burden, 'seems politically motivated.' Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said on X she 'SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP.' Other GOP senators came to MacDonough's defense, insisting that — while they might disagree with some of her rulings — they would abide by them, rather than seeking a vote to overrule them. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he had 'no intention' of trying to overrule the parliamentarian. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said he 'just can't imagine' Republicans would have enough votes to do so in a chamber where they hold 53 seats. 'We're not going to throw the parliamentarian under the bus,' said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. MacDonough's office declined CNN's request to comment. The focus on the Senate parliamentarian comes as Republicans try to shepherd the massive bill to passage using special budgetary rules that require a simple majority of 51 votes — shielding it from a Democratic filibuster. The Senate parliamentarian is a nonpartisan position that was created in the 1930s. In the role, MacDonough, the first woman to serve as parliamentarian, is tasked with advising the chamber on how its rules, protocols and precedents should be applied. That includes advising senators in a bill-review process known as a 'Byrd Bath' — named for former longtime West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd — when they are looking to use Senate budget rules to pass a bill with a simple majority. Typically, senators are prohibited from using such a bill to advance provisions that aren't related to spending or taxes. Democrats have fumed at MacDonough in the past, as well. In 2021, she ruled they could not include a federal minimum wage increase in President Joe Biden's pandemic-era stimulus bill. She also rejected Democrats' efforts to include immigration reforms. Lawmakers have largely been hesitant to overrule MacDonough because doing so would further chip away at the filibuster — perhaps the most powerful tool minority parties have on Capitol Hill. Democrats voted to overrule MacDonough in 2013 to eliminate filibusters, requiring a simple majority vote rather than a 60-vote supermajority, to approve presidential nominees. Republicans did so in 2017 to similarly eliminate filibusters of Supreme Court nominees. Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday offered no indication the Senate would seek to overrule MacDonough in this case. 'Everything is challenging, but they're all speed bumps,' he told reporters. 'We have contingency plans, plan B and plan C. We'll continue to litigate it.' MacDonough was appointed to the Senate parliamentarian role in 2012 by Sen. Harry Reid, the late Nevada Democrat who was the majority leader at the time. She replaced Alan Frumin, who retired that year after serving in the role for 18 years. After attending George Washington University and Vermont Law School, MacDonough started her career working in the Senate library and later as an editor for the Congressional Record. She later worked for the Justice Department, and then joined the Senate parliamentarian's office as an assistant in 1999. Her first major task was helping to advise then-Vice President Al Gore on the Senate procedure for counting ballots in his 2000 presidential election against George W. Bush. She quickly rose in ranks after then-Senate parliamentarian Robert Dove was dismissed from the job by Republican leaders in 2001 and Frumin was promoted to the top position. 'While serving its 100 members on a day-to-day basis, I still represent the Senate. No matter who's in my office asking for assistance, I represent the Senate with its traditions of unfettered debate, protection of minority rights, and equal power among the states,' MacDonough said during a commencement speech at Vermont Law School in 2018, adding, 'That Senate is my charge.' In her time in office, MacDonough also advised on the two impeachment trials of Trump during his first term. MacDonough was seen regularly whispering guidance to Chief Justice John Roberts as he presided over Trump's first Senate impeachment trial. On January 6, 2021, the Senate parliamentarian's office was ransacked by pro-Trump rioters who sought to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election. As the rioters stormed the US Capitol, members of MacDonough's staff safeguarded the electoral votes during the siege, according to Capitol Hill reports.
CNN
19 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Why the Senate Parliamentarian is at the center of a fierce debate over Trump's agenda bill
But some Republicans publicly lambasted MacDonough — with a few calling for her ouster — this week after she advised that some key money-saving policies couldn't be included in their massive tax and domestic policy bill, complicating passage of the measure that includes much of President Donald Trump's agenda ahead of the Fourth of July deadline the president has set. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin said MacDonough's rejection of some of the bill's provisions, most importantly one that would have forced states to shoulder more of the Medicaid funding burden, 'seems politically motivated.' Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said on X she 'SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP.' Other GOP senators came to MacDonough's defense, insisting that — while they might disagree with some of her rulings — they would abide by them, rather than seeking a vote to overrule them. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he had 'no intention' of trying to overrule the parliamentarian. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said he 'just can't imagine' Republicans would have enough votes to do so in a chamber where they hold 53 seats. 'We're not going to throw the parliamentarian under the bus,' said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. MacDonough's office declined CNN's request to comment. The focus on the Senate parliamentarian comes as Republicans try to shepherd the massive bill to passage using special budgetary rules that require a simple majority of 51 votes — shielding it from a Democratic filibuster. The Senate parliamentarian is a nonpartisan position that was created in the 1930s. In the role, MacDonough, the first woman to serve as parliamentarian, is tasked with advising the chamber on how its rules, protocols and precedents should be applied. That includes advising senators in a bill-review process known as a 'Byrd Bath' — named for former longtime West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd — when they are looking to use Senate budget rules to pass a bill with a simple majority. Typically, senators are prohibited from using such a bill to advance provisions that aren't related to spending or taxes. Democrats have fumed at MacDonough in the past, as well. In 2021, she ruled they could not include a federal minimum wage increase in President Joe Biden's pandemic-era stimulus bill. She also rejected Democrats' efforts to include immigration reforms. Lawmakers have largely been hesitant to overrule MacDonough because doing so would further chip away at the filibuster — perhaps the most powerful tool minority parties have on Capitol Hill. Democrats voted to overrule MacDonough in 2013 to eliminate filibusters, requiring a simple majority vote rather than a 60-vote supermajority, to approve presidential nominees. Republicans did so in 2017 to similarly eliminate filibusters of Supreme Court nominees. Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday offered no indication the Senate would seek to overrule MacDonough in this case. 'Everything is challenging, but they're all speed bumps,' he told reporters. 'We have contingency plans, plan B and plan C. We'll continue to litigate it.' MacDonough was appointed to the Senate parliamentarian role in 2012 by Sen. Harry Reid, the late Nevada Democrat who was the majority leader at the time. She replaced Alan Frumin, who retired that year after serving in the role for 18 years. After attending George Washington University and Vermont Law School, MacDonough started her career working in the Senate library and later as an editor for the Congressional Record. She later worked for the Justice Department, and then joined the Senate parliamentarian's office as an assistant in 1999. Her first major task was helping to advise then-Vice President Al Gore on the Senate procedure for counting ballots in his 2000 presidential election against George W. Bush. She quickly rose in ranks after then-Senate parliamentarian Robert Dove was dismissed from the job by Republican leaders in 2001 and Frumin was promoted to the top position. 'While serving its 100 members on a day-to-day basis, I still represent the Senate. No matter who's in my office asking for assistance, I represent the Senate with its traditions of unfettered debate, protection of minority rights, and equal power among the states,' MacDonough said during a commencement speech at Vermont Law School in 2018, adding, 'That Senate is my charge.' In her time in office, MacDonough also advised on the two impeachment trials of Trump during his first term. MacDonough was seen regularly whispering guidance to Chief Justice John Roberts as he presided over Trump's first Senate impeachment trial. On January 6, 2021, the Senate parliamentarian's office was ransacked by pro-Trump rioters who sought to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election. As the rioters stormed the US Capitol, members of MacDonough's staff safeguarded the electoral votes during the siege, according to Capitol Hill reports.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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
The Independent
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Not so fast, sir ... One Capitol Hill bureaucrat stands in the way of Trump's ‘Big Beautiful' Fourth of July
Senate Republicans' plan to pass President Donald Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' by their self-imposed July 4 holiday deadline is facing a major setback. Last week, the Senate Finance Committee released the tax and healthcare parts of the bill, which included a provision that would limit provider taxes. States levy taxes on health care providers like hospitals and nursing homes to raise the money to receive federal matching dollars for Medicaid. Immediately, hospitals denounced it, saying it could decimate rural hospitals, which led to Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine to criticize the provision. To get this massive bill over the finish line, Republicans plan to sidestep the 60-vote threshold known as the filibuster through the process of budget reconciliation, wherein they can pass a bill with a simple majority as long as it relates to taxes and spending. But on Thursday, the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, said the Republicans' plan to cap a tax that states use to raise money for Medicaid did not pass the narrow rules of budget reconciliation, known as the 'Byrd rule,' which determines what can be included in a reconciliation bill. 'We have no idea what's going to happen here,' Hawley told The Independent afterwards. 'I mean we've got to work on some kind of a fix. Hopefully their fix will involve protecting rural hospitals.' Hawley said that he spoke to Trump about the legislation when the president flew back from the NATO summit in the Hague earlier this week. 'He likes the house framework, because he helped negotiate it,' Hawley said. 'Yeah, that's a pretty good framework, and I said, 'Yeah, I agree with that.' So, we'll see' In addition, the parliamentarian ruled against a provision to reduce the federal share of Medicaid expansion coverage under the Affordable Care Act from 90 percent to 80 percent for states that provide health care to undocumented immigrants, another to restrict Medicaid dollars to states that provide health care to certain immigrants who are not citizens and a provision that would have banned Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care for transgender people. 'There was a technical issue with it, and we think we got a technical fix, but that has that's not been done yet,' Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota told The Independent. Trump has called for the Senate to pass the bill that the House of Representatives passed last month by a narrow margin by July 4th. He has specifically said that the Senate should not go on vacation until the bill passes. 'I'm not planning to leave until this is done,' Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio told The Independent. But the setback with the parliamentarian means Republicans will need to rewrite the text of the bill for Medicaid to make it comply with the Byrd Rule, named for late majority leader Robert Byrd. The bill poses a limited opportunity to pass most of Trump's domestic policy agenda, including extending the 2017 tax cuts he signed his first term and increasing spending for the military, immigration enforcement and oil exploration. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Budget Committee, said the parliamentarian's rulings symbolized how Republicans had run roughshod over the process. 'It's designed to be only for deficit reduction,' he told The Independent. 'They're using it to increase debt massively.' In response, some Republicans called for the firing of the MacDonough, whom has been in the office since 2012. 'I don't think anyone should stay here that long and have power where she doesn't answer to anybody,' Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas told The Independent. 'I think that her rulings have very much would look like politically, that she's leading to the left, and I think we should have a term limit.' MacDonough came into her position when Democrats controlled the Senate. But she also irritated Democrats in the past, such as when she did not allow them to include a $15 minimum wage increase in the American Rescue Plan signed by President Joe Biden in 2021. But Collins, a swing vote, disagreed with the idea of firing the parliamentarian. 'She is doing her job, they are doing their jobs, and people should remember that what comes around goes around when it comes to the parliamentarian,' Collins told The Independent.
