

Key Points
  • Democrats introduce a bill to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour from the current $7.25.
  • Though it could get through the Democratic-controlled House, the GOP-held Senate likely will not approve it, and President Donald Trump will likely oppose it.
  • Still, Democrats see it as a strong message as they try to cast themselves as better for workers than Trump and the GOP.
Fast-food workers and supporters fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
James Leynse | Corbis Historical | Getty Images



Minimum wages rising in 20 states, several cities




The push for a higher federal floor comes as numerous states and localities hike their minimum wages — even in red states such as Arkansas and Missouri. Fast-food workers and groups such as Fight for $15 spearheaded advocacy for a $15 per hour minimum wage around the country. 


"Raising the minimum wage is not only good for workers, it is good for businesses, and good for the economy. When we put money in the pockets of American workers, they will spend that money in their communities. This bill is a stimulus for Main Street America," Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat who's a co-sponsor of the bill and chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said in a statement Wednesday.





The legislation likely will not become law as long as Republicans control the Senate and White House. In 2016, Trump said he would rather leave the issue "to the states." In October, his top economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, called a U.S. wage floor a "terrible idea," saying, "Idaho is different than New York."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which bills itself as the world's largest business organization, has also criticized the $15 per hour federal minimum wage plan. In December, Marc Freedman, vice president of employment policy at the Chamber, said many businesses "do not have the ability to absorb an increase in their labor costs."

The legislation rekindles a debate that has raged in various industries around the country. In a statement, Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, said: "Everyone who works—no matter where they are from or what the color of their skin is—deserves to be paid enough to lead a decent life and provide for their family, and that's what a $15 minimum wage will do." The organization represents workers in a variety of occupations including public school employees, child care providers, janitors and security officers.

Meanwhile, the National Restaurant Association cautioned against a minimum wage hike to $15 per hour. If Congress decides to "drastically increase operating costs then these small businesses will be forced to hire fewer people, reduce hours, or even close their doors," said Shannon Meade, the organization's vice president of public policy and workforce.



Democrats have also taken to hammering Trump over the partial government shutdown now entering its 26th day. About 800,000 federal workers have missed paychecks as the impasse over the president's demand for more than $5 billion to build a portion of his proposed border wall drags on. The White House now expects the closure will dock 0.1 percentage point from GDP growth for every week it lasts.

At the Democratic news conference Tuesday, Schumer tied Trump's labor policies to the shutdown to contend that the president has "completely abandoned American workers." 

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