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
