After years of opposing proposed increases to the federal minimum wage, a leading Republican is pushing for an increase to $15 per hour.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) on Tuesday introduced legislation that would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour from the current $7.25 per hour.
If adopted, the bill, dubbed the “Higher Wages for American Works Act of 2025,” would increase the hourly standard wage to $15 starting Jan. 1, 2026, and would also include subsequent annual increases to index with inflation. The federal wage has not seen an increase since 2009.
“For decades, working Americans have seen their wages flatline,” Hawley said in a statement to CBS News, which broke the news. “One major culprit of this is the failure of the federal minimum wage to keep up with the economic reality facing hard-working Americans every day. This bipartisan legislation would ensure that workers across America benefit from higher wages.”
In a post on X, Hawley added, “Here’s a simple proposal: MORE deportations for illegals—and higher WAGES for Americans.”
The bill is being co-sponsored by Democrat Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont), who on his website indicates he would like to see the federal wage go up even further to $17 per hour.
For Hawley, supporting a $15 per hour wage runs counter to conservative ideology. But the move is reportedly reflective of a Trump-era attempt to shift working-class voters away from Democrats and toward the Republican Party.
In a package of bills dubbed the “Pro-Worker Framework for the 119th Congress,” for example, Hawley has also expressed support for the strengthening of union jobs, as well as organizing and collective bargaining, according to CBS News.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 10 states and the District of Columbia have a minimum wage of at least $15 per hour, but that list will grow as more states phase in scheduled increases. By 2027, 19 states and the District of Columbia will have at least a $15 per hour minimum.
President Trump, in an interview with "Meet the Press," in December indicated he was open to the idea of some kind of increase in the federal minimum, though he did not indicate a target.
The idea of doubling the federal minimum wage, however, continues to face opposition on the right.
The Employment Policies Institute (EPI), a conservative lobbying group, argues that a $15 per hour minimum wage would result in more than 800,000 lost jobs nationally.
“Sen. Hawley should know better,” said Rebekah Paxton, EPI research director, in a statement. “This proposal would more than double the minimum wage and slash over 800,000 jobs. An overwhelming majority of economists agree that drastic minimum wage hikes cut employment, limit opportunities for workers, and shutter businesses.”
UPDATE: This article has been updated to include more information about the bill.
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