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Eight in 10 Americans think the federal minimum wage is too low and two-thirds support increasing it to $15 per hour, according to a poll from Amazon and survey producer Ipsos published Tuesday.Why it matters: A raise in the minimum wage from the current $7.25 an hour was not included in the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package passed by Congress this month, despite progressives pushing to add a minimum wage provision to the bill. This poll suggests there's widespread nonpartisan support for an increase.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.What they're saying: Chris Jackson, senior vice president of public affairs at Ipsos, noted in a statement that "this level of agreement is practically unheard of in contemporary America and reflects an overwhelming public consensus that elected officials should think twice before disputing."Zoom in: The poll of 6,354 people, conducted Jan. 28-Feb. 8, found that 80% believe large employers shoul
Three-Quarters of Republicans Oppose Raising Minimum Wage: Poll
On 3/16/21 at 1:01 PM EDT
New polling shows that the vast majority of Republican voters oppose raising the federal minimum wage, although strong majorities of Democrats and independents support the idea.
President Joe Biden and progressive Democrats have pushed for raising the wage to $15 per hour. It is currently set at just $7.25 per hour and was last increased back in July 2009.
Progressive Democrats had hoped to push the wage hike through in Biden s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, but the Senate s parliamentarian ruled that it could not go through the complicated budget reconciliation process. Democrats had turned to reconciliation, which requires only a slim majority to pass in the Senate, after it became clear that Republicans would not support the coronavirus relief bill.
The practicality of a $15 minimum wage is not so straightforward as both parties make it. Can it really help lift millions out of poverty? It is possible, but it will require looking beyond the minimum wage. That s the challenge the Democrats are yet to address and until they do even a $15 minimum wage may seem insufficient.
The practicality of a $15 minimum wage is not so straightforward as both parties make it (Getty Images)
Why the minimum wage is so problematic
The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Currently, many states also have their own minimum wage laws. According to the Department of Labour (DoL), In cases where an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages. Currently, many states exceed the federal wage, with states like California mandating up to $13 an hour. Others like Alabama and Tennessee don t have any minimum wage requirements.