WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and nearly 200 Democratic Members of Congress introduced legislation that would raise the federal minimum wage to $17 by 2028. Estimated to benefit nearly 28 million workers, or 19 percent of the working population, the Raise the Wage Act of 2023 would raise the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour over five years, eliminate the tipped sub-minimum wage over seven years, eliminate the sub-minimum wage for workers with disabilities over five years, and eliminate the sub-minimum wage for youth workers over seven years.
“I firmly believe no one working 40 hours a week should live in poverty. Fortunately, Maine has raised its state minimum wage, but it’s still estimated that you would need to work 72 hours a week at that wage to be able to afford rent for a two-bedroom – let alone at the federal minimum,” said Pingree, in a news release. “It is plain disgraceful that in the wealthiest country on earth the federal minimum wage hasn’t been raised in 14 years, so I’m proud to support the Raise the Wage Act.”
The release continued:
Over the last 50 years, $50 trillion in wealth has been redistributed from the bottom 90 percent of America to the top 1 percent, the release said. Today, the value of the current federal minimum wage, $7.25 per hour, is the lowest it has been since 1956 and has declined by nearly 28 percent since it was last increased in 2009....
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