Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee advocates for raising minimum hourly wage to $50

During a debate this week for a U.S. Senate seat in California, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) argued in favor of increasing the minimum wage to $50 an hour.

Lee's suggestion implies that workers earning the minimum wage would receive over $100,000 annually. She made these comments on Monday night while competing against fellow Democrats Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Katie Porter (D-CA), and the Republican contender Steve Garvey, reports the Daily Wire.

Schiff and Porter have both advocated for raising the minimum wage to a minimum of $20 an hour, while Garvey has firmly opposed any increases to the minimum wage.

“In the Bay Area, I believe it was the United Way that came out with a report that very recently $127,000 for a family of four is just barely enough to get by,” Lee said. “Another survey very recently: $104,000. For a family of one, barely enough to get by low income because of the affordability crisis.”

“Just do the math! Just do the math!” she exclaimed. “Of course we have national minimum wages that we need to raise to a living raise,” she said. “You’re talking about 20, 25 dollars, fine, but I have got to be focused on what California needs and what the affordability factor is when we calculate this wage.”

WATCH: At a California Senate candidate forum, Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee said she wants to increase the federal minimum wage to $50 per hour.

Spoken like someone who knows nothing about economics.
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— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 13, 2024