$15/Hour Minimum Wage Is Coming As Pelosi And Schumer Support Bernie Sanders Bill

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:30 pm

The bill from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour over 5 years got support from Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer.

The Raise The Wage Act Of 2021 would raise the minimum wage to $15/hour over the next five years and then index it to median wages so that as wages go up, the minimum wage would automatically increase.

Speaker Pelosi said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, “The coronavirus pandemic and economic crises have pulled back the veil on the unconscionable economic disparities that working women, low-income families, and other vulnerable communities have faced for decades. By re-introducing the Chair Bobby Scott’s Raise the Wage Act, which passed on a bipartisan basis in the previous Congress, the Democratic Congress is taking another strong and long-needed step to honor the dignity, dedication and contributions of millions of hard-working Americans. This legislation is a key part of Democrats’ commitment to not only recover from these crises, but to Build Back Better – and to do so in a way that advances justice, prosperity and equality for all Americans.”
Sen. Sanders and Rep. Bobby Scott have been introducing versions of this bill for years, but real progress was made when the House passed it in a bipartisan vote in the last Congress.

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Senate Majority Leader Schumer threw his support behind the bill, “Americans working 40 hours a week should be able to put food on the table and a roof over their families’ heads, but with the minimum wage stuck at $7.25, far too many are working hard and still in poverty. Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is one step Congress should take right now, particularly with the COVID-19 crisis stretching families’ resources further than ever. I am happy to move forward with this group to make it happen and give the American people a raise.”

Democrats plan to use reconciliation to pass the increase in the minimum wage, which is why the American people should be confident in its passage. There will be no Republican obstruction of the bill in the Senate.

The legislation is supported by President Biden, so it will be signed into law.

32 million working Americans will be lifted out of poverty because Joe Biden beat Donald Trump and Democrats won two runoff Senate elections in Georgia.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association