Hawley Proposes $15 Per Hour Minimum Wage
Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) have introduced a bipartisan proposal that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour and establish automatic annual increases tied to inflation. The legislation marks a dramatic shift from the current $7.25 federal minimum wage, which has remained unchanged since 2009.
Hawley and Welch cited years of stagnant wage growth and rising living costs as primary drivers behind the proposed increase. According to both lawmakers, the failure to update the minimum wage has eroded the earning power of millions of American workers.
“For decades, working Americans have seen their wages flatline,” Hawley stated in a press release. “One major culprit of this is the failure of the federal minimum wage to keep up with the economic reality facing hardworking Americans every day. This bipartisan legislation would ensure that workers across America benefit from higher wages.”
The proposed framework includes an inflation-indexing mechanism that would automatically adjust the $15 base rate each year.
The adjustment would be pegged to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and rounded to the nearest $0.05. This would eliminate the need for periodic legislative battles over wage adjustments.
Welch emphasized the widespread impact of rising costs, stating, “We’re in the midst of a severe affordability crisis, with families in red and blue states alike struggling to afford necessities like housing and groceries. A stagnant federal minimum wage only adds fuel to the fire.”
He added, “Times have changed, and working families deserve a wage that reflects today’s financial reality. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort to raise the minimum wage nationwide to help more folks make ends meet.”
The proposal is expected to provoke a heated policy debate, as similar wage hikes have often divided lawmakers. Conservative commentator Dana Loesch was quick to voice opposition to the plan, criticizing Hawley’s involvement.
“This is a horrible, progressive idea,” she wrote in a post on X, signaling the resistance likely to surface among fiscal conservatives.