Sen. Mitch McConnell | Facebook
Sen. Mitch McConnell | Facebook
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that he’s willing to talk about raising the minimum wage but not now and not to $15.
McConnell spoke with reporters on Capitol Hill recently and said that he is open to discussing a minimum wage hike. He even mentioned that the minimum wage hasn’t been increased for a while indicating that it’s probably time to change it for the betterment of the American people.
But McConnell clapped back when the topic turned to the $15 federal minimum wage increase. He said that raising the minimum wage that high and that quick would lead to a huge dip in employment. He claimed that the outcome would be 1.4 million jobs lost.
He added, “That’s not what we need in the middle of a pandemic.”
Democrats were able to pass their COVID-19 relief bill without Republican support. Included in that bill was the minimum wage increase, which will hit $15 over four years.
The Congressional Budget Office warned the Democrats that by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour the country is at risk of losing 1.3 million jobs.
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