Pro (Yes)
Pro
"The American middle class built this country. Yet today, CEOs and Wall Street are putting profits over workers, plain and simple. It’s wrong. There used to be a basic bargain in this country that when you work hard, you were able to share in the prosperity your work helped create. It’s time to restore the dignity of work and give workers back the power to earn what they’re worth.
It’s well past time that we increase the federal minimum wage to $15."
Source: Joe Biden, "Joe's Vision for America: Restoring the Basic Bargain for American Workers," joebiden.com (accessed July 24, 2019)
Pro
"Yes."
Source: Email from Kevin Zeese with the Hawkins campaign, July 2, 2020
|
Con (No)
Con
"No. Minimum wages cut off the bottom rungs of the employment ladder, making it impossible for the most disadvantaged in our society to get jobs and support their families. This leaves them trapped in poverty. In contrast, unskilled workers in Hong Kong, which once had the freest economy in the world, were able to get jobs, develop skills, and quickly earn pay raises - with no forced minimum wage."
Source: Communication from the Jorgensen campaign to ProCon.org on Aug. 26, 2020
Now Con
"The Administration opposes H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage Act...
Through its successful pro-growth economic agenda, the Administration has ensured that American workers are taking home bigger paychecks... This strong economy has prompted businesses to remain competitive by raising wages. Compensation is rising at near its fastest pace in a decade. Median household income has reached an all-time high. Wages are also rising faster for production and non-supervisory workers than for workers overall.
A $15.00 an hour minimum wage would reverse this economic progress and hurt workers."
Source: Office of Budget and Management, “Executive Office of the President, Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 582 – Raise the Wage Act," whitehouse.gov, July 15, 2019
[Editor's Note: Trump previously expressed NOT CLEARLY PRO OR CON and PRO opinions on this question. Read Trump's former positions on whether the federal minimum wage should be raised.]
|