House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) didn't mince words when asked about the federal minimum wage. Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Jeffries said the wage "certainly needs to be increased," adding that it is "a disgrace that the minimum wage hasn't been raised in 20 years."
Jeffries was asked whether Congress could pass a minimum-wage increase early in the new session. He said he looked forward to discussing the possibility with members of the House Democratic Caucus and the Senate "to see what's possible," according to Forbes Breaking News. He added, "So, we have to raise the wage for every single American."
Pritzker and Ramirez Urge Action
Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.) also shared a post featuring Jeffries' remarks on X Tuesday, saying the federal minimum wage "has been stuck at $7.25" for 17 years and that "it's time to change that." She urged Congress to pass the Living Wage for All Act, the House bill she introduced in April, which would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour.
Adding to the calls for a federal minimum-wage increase, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said Congress should act. Pritzker said on X Tuesday that Illinois "nearly doubled our minimum wage" and that "the time for Congress to act is now." In a video he shared, Pritzker said it "should be easy for the new Congress coming in to pass a hike," adding that there is "a broad understanding among Democrats who ran that we've got to raise the minimum wage." He said lawmakers could debate whether to raise the minimum wage to $15, $20 or $25 an hour, but stressed that an increase is necessary.
Earlier Wage Proposals
The Living Wage for All Act was introduced in June by Sen. Chris Murphy as a bicameral bill. The legislation would require large corporate employers to reach the $25 hourly wage floor by 2032, and smaller businesses would have until 2039 to comply. Future increases would be tied to two-thirds of the national median wage.
The push for a higher federal minimum wage has also been raised by other Democratic lawmakers. In October, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote on X that "when Democrats regain control of Congress we must raise the minimum wage to at least $20 an hour." He noted that the federal wage had remained at $7.25 for 17 years and added, "No more excuses."
