The Biden administration is standing firm that President Joe Biden would like to see the federal minimum wage increased, as a report was released revealing it would cut 1.4 million jobs.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters during Monday’s White House press briefing, “The president remains firmly committed to raising the minimum wage to $15.”
“He believes any American who is working a full-time job, trying to make ends meet, should not be at the poverty level,” Psaki added. “It’s important to him that the minimum wage is raised.”
Watch Psaki’s comments below:
MINIMUM WAGE: Jen Psaki says, “The President remains firmly committed to raising the minimum wage to $15,” as relief package may not include a wage hike provision.
— Forbes (@Forbes) February 8, 2021
RELEATED: Biden Predicts $15 Minimum Wage Won’t Be In Relief Bill, Vows Separate Push https://t.co/ezN8gtkn7V pic.twitter.com/FJ0u6rlNn7
Psaki’s remarks follow days after Biden indicated he did not believe raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour would be in his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. The federal minimum wage is currently at $7.25 per hour.
“My guess is it will not be in it. But I do think that we should have a minimum wage, stand by itself, $15 an hour,” Biden said during a CBS News interview.
He also said, “No one should work 40 hours a week and live below the poverty wage. And if you’re making less than $15 an hour, you’re living below the poverty wage.”
Biden’s proposal of raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by June of 2025 would cut 1.4 million jobs, according to the Congressional Budget Office. It would also increase the U.S. deficit by $54 billion over a 10 year period. Raising the minimum wage would reduce poverty.
