Should the US Raise the Minimum Wage?

Twenty-six U.S. states plan to raise the minimum wage in 2022. Should the federal government follow suit?

California and parts of New York, including New York City, already have the country's highest minimum wage at $15/hour. Ten other states, including Florida, Massachusetts and Illinois, plan to reach a statewide $15 minimum wage in the next few years. Georgia and Wyoming share the lowest state minimum wage ($5.15). The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009. The issue resurfaces as a record number of Americans quit their jobs, and as consumers face the highest levels of inflation seen in almost four decades. President Joe Biden's "plan to Build Back Better for American workers" lists raising the minimum wage to $15 as a top priority.

Right-rated voices have consistently opposed raising the minimum wage over concerns that it would lower employment for certain demographics and industries. Amid high inflation, some on the right are more open to boosting the federal minimum wage, albeit not to $15. One writer for Washington Examiner described how raising the minimum wage to $10 may give Biden a political boost while also minimizing job losses. On the left, two writers for NYNMedia argued that the subminimum wage "is a direct legacy of slavery and perpetuates some of the worst sexual harassment of any industry," and highlighted how some low-paying restaurants across the country have reversed course and started to offer higher wages amid a mass exodus of employees.