California congressman calls for $23 minimum wage
California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna is proposing a minimum wage hike to $23/hour. His proposal is an increase of over 200 per cent over the current rate, far higher than the $15/hour federal wage hike proposed by President Joe Biden.
In a now-deleted post on Twitter, Khanna suggested that raising the minimum wage to $15 would lift one million people out of poverty and asked his followers to imagine how many more lives could be impacted if that number were significantly higher.
Khanna’s proposal raises questions as to what those currently making $23/hour would do if they were able to earn just as much money for less skilled work. Economists who oppose raising the minimum wage predict that efforts to do so will only cause inflation or put existing other high paying jobs in jeopardy. Furthermore, small businesses would feel the brunt of a minimum wage hike that large corporations like Amazon and Walmart could more easily shoulder.
Despite deleting his tweet, Khanna doubled down on the proposal in a new tweet where he suggested $15/hour should be the floor.
“Considering the increase in the rate of productivity since the last time the minimum wage was changed, American workers are adding a value of $23/hour,” he added.
$15/hour should be the floor.
— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) January 14, 2021
Considering the increase in the rate of productivity since the last time the minimum wage was changed, American workers are adding a value of $23/hour.
According to Fox News, Khanna is well known for his progressive policy proposals. His website states his position supporting the $15/hour policy, what he claims the rate would be if employers were keeping pace with inflation. In Khanna’s home state of California, the minimum wage for large employers was raised to $14/hour in 2021.
President Joe Biden has stated that he plans to raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hour and has said that no American worker should work for 40 hours per week and still live below the poverty line.
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