Freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib claims that the demand by many 2020 Democratic candidates to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour is not enough.
The outspoken Congresswoman called for an amazing $20 minimum wage during a One Fair Wage event on Sunday.
“Think about that for one minute. People cannot live on those kinds of wages, and I can’t allow people to be living off tips, you know, relying on tips for wages. It’s just not enough to support our families,” Rep. Tlaib said. “… By the way, when we started it, it should have been $15. Now I think it should be $20 — make sure America Rising hears that.”
“It should be $20 an hour, $18 to $20 an hour at this point. … They say all of this is going to raise the cost, but I can tell you, milk has gone up, eggs has gone up, everything has gone up.” She claimed.
Rep. Tlaib’s comments come after the House of Representatives passed a bill last Thursday to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. The bill is likely to not be considered in the Senate, as Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell previously stated, “We’re not going to be doing that in the Senate.”
The Democrats’ move to increase minimum wage has caused Republican lawmakers to push back. The Congressional Budget Office has reported that if enacted, there could be up to 3.7 million jobs lost.
However, several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are pushing for the federal minimum wage increase, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, who notes on his campaign website, “Raise the minimum wage to a living wage of at least $15 an hour.” Additionally, Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, along with former Vice President Joe Biden, and others are looking to raise the minimum wage.
Although he is pushing for $15 minimum wage, Bernie Sanders recently found himself in hot water after his campaign staffers complained about their wage in comparison to their hours worked, resulting in less than $15 per hour. The 2020 hopeful then decided to cut staffers’ hours in response.
“You’ve got to laugh at this a little bit. I mean, when this kind of poetic justice where this ill-conceived policy gets manifested right before your very eyes,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw said in response. “And I wonder who could have predicted this?”
