Business

Dems Set Sights On $15 Minimum Wage After Winning House: Report

REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Tim Pearce Energy Reporter
Font Size:

Democrats in the House are aiming to pass legislation mandating a minimum wage hike to $15 an hour by 2025, The Washington Examiner reports.

Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia will likely lead the charge if he becomes the next chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee as expected, according to the Examiner. Democrats are also reportedly planning to change the committee’s name to reflect a pro-labor agenda. (RELATED: Here Are The Investigations You Can Expect Democrats To Open When They Take Control Of The House)

“On the legislation front, there will be a push to raise the minimum wage,” a Democratic House staffer told the Examiner.

After flipping at least 38 seats in midterm elections, Democrats have gained a large buffer in the House to make an agenda and advance legislation. The Senate remains in the hands of a GOP majority and will likely kill many of the proposals passed in the House.

With a House majority, Democrats’ main focus will likely be issuing subpoenas and investigating members of the Trump administration, including the president’s labor board. Democrats have already said that GOP members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) should recuse themselves from certain decisions based on their previous ties to management-side law firms.

Scores of fast food workers and their supporters calling for a $15 minimum wage fill a McDonalds restaurant in Chelsea, Massachusetts December 4, 2014. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Scores of fast food workers and their supporters calling for a $15 minimum wage fill a McDonalds restaurant in Chelsea, Massachusetts December 4, 2014. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A group of Democratic senators demanded in September NLRB member William Emmanuel recuse himself from a case based on recent precedent that hamstrung the court from overturning the controversial “joint-employer” decision issued under the Obama administration.

While powerless to push through legislation without GOP support, a Democratic House can make it difficult for Trump to continue enacting his agenda. In the past, though, Trump has given signs that he would support an increase to the minimum wage, which might be enough to get Republicans to support some measure, but likely not to the full $15 an hour.

Follow Tim Pearce on Twitter

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.