The Republican Senator from Missouri, Josh Hawley, wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, starting next year. Hawley is supported by his Democratic Senator colleague Peter Welch from Vermont. The current minimum wage is $7.25 and it has not changed since 2009. Hawley introduced a similar (or same) bill back in 2021. During an interview from back then, Hawley stated that he would not want the wage hike to impact small businesses and it would be reserved for those making over $1 billion. It is unclear if that provision is in the newly-introduced bill. Critics of the bill say that raising the federal minimum wage is irrelevant and an attention-seeking move as the vast majority of businesses voluntarily pay well above the minimum wage due to inflation, supply, and demand.
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Hawley to introduce bill to raise minimum wage to $15 per hour, CBS News confirms – CBS News
