Chairman Scott Applauds Rule Implementing $15 Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors

Statement

Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor released a proposed rule implementing President Biden's Executive Order 14026, which requires all federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage.

"I applaud the Biden Administration for making good on its promise to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 an hour.

"By both raising the minimum wage and phasing out the tipped minimum wage for federal contractors, this rule will ensure that hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans can provide for themselves and their families. Importantly, the President's executive order will also demonstrate that, when we increase the minimum wage, we provide workers with money to spend in their communities and help employers benefit from more productive employees and lower turnover.

"While the President's executive order is a critical milestone in our effort to raise wages for workers, there are still millions of Americans who are working long hours and still cannot afford the basic essentials. In fact, the most recent report from the National Low-Income Housing Coalition showed that a full-time worker making the minimum wage would have to work, on average, 79 hours per week just to afford a one-bedroom rental home at the fair market rent.

"The Senate must do its job and advance the Raise the Wage Act, which would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour."

Source