Livable wages continue to be an important issue among voters, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic, and when it comes to President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the candidates have widely different approaches to raising incomes.
The federal minimum wage sits at just $7.25 an hour and has not seen an increase since 2009. An employee working a full-time job on a minimum wage salary makes just over $15,000 annually, but according to a study by GoBankingRates, the lowest median living wage rate for a U.S. state is about $58,000 in Mississippi.
When questioned about raising the federal minimum wage, President Trump said he would consider it but prefers to let states dictate increases. According to the president, a strong economy would lift wages and not hurt small business owners.
Biden, on the other hand, has committed to raising the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2026, the amount being part of the demand raised by the #FightFor15. The movement began in New York City in 2012 when more than 200 fast food workers walked out on the job in protest for higher pay.
Critics of a federally mandated increase in the minimum wage agree with the president's view that it would negatively impact small business owners and also would add to job losses, a drop in work hours, and higher prices for consumers.
However, a study by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce contends that a higher minimum wage would actually boost consumer spending and create more jobs.
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has approved sweeping new powers that allow police to arrest migrants who illegally cross the U.S. border and give local judges authority to order them to leave the country.
Two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgement against Rudy Giuliani are asking for a court order barring him from continuing to repeat the lies he spread about them following the 2020 election.
A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows cannot move charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia to federal court.
A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order barring removal of a memorial to Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
The U.S. Justice Department has created a database to track records of misconduct by federal law enforcement officers that is aimed at preventing agencies from unknowingly hiring problem officers, officials said on Monday.
The House of Representatives recently passed a bill aimed at increasing transparency in healthcare.
In the Red Sea this morning, a U.S. warship, the USS Carney responded to a distress call by a commercial vessel after it came under attack.
The Florida GOP suspended its chairman yesterday amid a police investigation into a rape accusation against him.
Lawmakers may finally be close to a deal for a new border security bill.
A car crashed into a parked Secret Service SUV that was guarding President Biden's motorcade in Delaware on Sunday.
