11/7/2023 Should We Raise the

Federal Minimum
Wage?
A Public Policy Report

Figure 1: Photo from twi1er depicts a machine that offers minimum wage to
anyone willing to turn it.

Analysis By: Zoe Raschke

Raschke 3

Abstract
This report has been set up as an opinionless representation of the
discussion sounding the minimum wage debate and has been intended to
provide stakeholders with an informative background on the subject. All
sources have been equally represented and balanced between opposing
arguments.

The analysis has been conducted in accordance with Stasis Theory to

answer key questions for stakeholders and provide an in-depth view of
where sources agree or disagree.

Findings suggest that the research surrounding the debate is inconclusive

due to conflicting statistics, and it can be concluded that this uncertainty
may be simultaneously fueling and hindering the debate.
Raschke 4

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 5

METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ 5

RESULTS/DISCUSSION ............................................................. 6

CONJECTURE ................................................................................................. 6
Historical Background ............................................................................ 6
Current Events .......................................................................................... 7
DEFINITION ................................................................................................... 8
QUALITY ........................................................................................................ 9
Who is affected? ....................................................................................... 9
What are the effects? ..............................................................................10
ACTION......................................................................................................... 18
Bernie Sanders’ plan............................................................................... 18
Romney and Cotton’s plan ..................................................................... 19
Josh Hawley’s plan ................................................................................. 19
Raise The Wage Act 2023 ....................................................................... 19
What has already been done? ............................................................... 20

CONCLUSION ...........................................................................21

WORKS CITED ......................................................................... 23

Raschke 5

Introduction
In recent years, raising the federal minimum wage has become a hot topic
of debate for policy makers. In general, the public’s concern centers around
economic impact, inflation, job loss, and diminishing spending power.
Without absolute certainty as to what effects a federal raise may have, it is
difficult for many people to agree on the matter.

This report presents an analysis utilizing the four components of Stasis

Theory, giving a brief overview of the dialogue currently surrounding the
public policy issue.

Methodology
The report will include a variety of sources, including expert opinions,
popular media representations, and visual arguments. These will be evenly
distributed between pro and con opinions to ensure a balanced, and
informative discussion for stakeholders.

A stakeholder is a blanket-term meant to represent any such individual or

party who may have a specific interest, or who may be directly affected by a
change in policy. The stakeholders on the matter at hand primarily include
low-income individuals, less educated or experienced individuals, small
business employers, and members of the working class living in less
populated areas.

Additionally, all US citizens can be considered stakeholders due to the

concern of overall economic impact and inflation.

As previously mentioned, these sources will be analyzed and organized in

accordance with Greek Stasis Theory. In general, Stasis Theory will be
applied to highlight where sources may agree or disagree through a process
of specific questioning. Specifically:

• Conjecture: What is the history?

• Definition: What kind of issue are we dealing with?
• Quality: What are the causes and effects? Who is affected?
• Action: What are possible solutions, if a solution is necessary?
Raschke 6

Results/Discussion
This section of the report will focus on the findings of the analysis and how
they relate to each component of stasis theory.

Each subsection will be utilized to answer a question for stakeholders.

Beginning with, “what is the history, current and old?”; otherwise
categorized as conjecture.

Conjecture
The history surrounding the minimum wage is rather undisputable.
Therefore, sources agree that it has changed consistently in terms of
the actual minimum value, how far that value stretches, and how it is
mandated.

Historical Background
According to a Forbes article written by Kelly Anne Smith, the
first legally mandated federal minimum wage was instated in
1938 as a part of the Fair Labor Standards Act. She continues to
share that the original value was knocked down from 40 cents
per hour to 25 cents per hour due to pressure from
representatives in southern states (Smith, Minimum Wage
Debate).

Smith goes on to state that the federal floor has since been
updated for a total of 22 times, but allegedly only grew in
accordance with productivity through the 1960’s.

Figure 2: Graph of minimum wage over ?me from CNN ar?cle.

 Raschke 7

Zachary B. Wolf from CNN lets us know that it was at this time
that the minimum wage reached a metaphorical peak in terms
of inflation. Figure 2 shows us a graphical representation of this
trend from his article “Everything you need to know about the
debate over the $15 minimum wage.”

US Senator Bernie Sanders states on his website that “[Our]

federal minimum wage has lost over 27% of its purchasing
power since it was last raised 14 years ago [in 2009],”
(Saunders, We Must Raise the Minimum).

Previously mentioned Wolf adds onto this fact by saying "That

[14] year gap is the longest American workers have ever gone
without a bump,” (Wolf, Everything you need to know).

Current Events
Due in part to the drop in spending power and the historically
large wait for a federal raise, policymakers and the American
people have begun to debate the topic of once again raising the
minimum. Many attempts have been made to change public
policy in recent years.

Individuals in support of raising

have expressed concerns about
poverty and starvation, the
aftermath of covid-19, widening
wage inequality, and a richer
quality of life for the lowest
earners.

Figures 3 and 4 demonstrate

these concerns.

Figure 3: Pro-raise visual demonstrates the concerns of the current

minimum.
 Raschke 8

Parties against the hike

counter these arguments
with questions of
potential job losses,
inflation and economic
damage, small business
closures, and
automation.

Figures 5 and 6
demonstrate these
counter-concerns.
Figure 4: Pro-raise visual demonstrates the concerns of the current minimum.

Figure 5: An?-raise visual demonstrates ques?ons regarding a Figure 5: An?-raise visual demonstrates ques?ons regarding a federal raise.
federal raise.

This leads to the next question for stakeholders, what is the nature of
the issues this debate aims to address?

Definition
Sources from both sides tend to offer arguments centering around
morality and the economy.

For example, US representative Virginia Foxx gives this sentiment,

“"Forcing our nation’s job creators to raise the minimum wage
arbitrarily around the country by 107 percent will hurt the very people
Raschke 9

this ill-advised legislation is alleged to help." (Foxx, Cons of

Minimum Wage).

While US senator Bernie Sanders argues "When over 60% of

American workers are now living paycheck to paycheck, when the life
expectancy of low-income Americans is in decline, when we have the
highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country, we can
no longer tolerate a federal minimum wage of $7.25" (Sanders, We
Must Raise the Minimum).

So, to what extent are constituents being affected, and what effects
would a federal raise provoke?

Quality
Here is where sources begin to differ on nearly every account. There
appears to be a lack of consensus within the research about the
projected outcomes of federal raises. Additionally, sources repeatedly
contradict each other in terms of how a policy change may affect
stakeholders.

Who is affected?
As an expansion of stakeholders previously mentioned, the
parties who have been identified by sources as most at risk go as
follows:

• Small businesses
• Rural populations
• Service workers
• Low-income parties such as
o Low-income families
o Impoverished children
o Single mothers
o Individuals paid less than minimum wage (tipped
workers)
o Current minimum wage earners
o Individuals currently living in poverty
• Disadvantaged parties such as
o Women
o People of color
Raschke 10

o Individuals living with disability.

o Individuals with less than a high school education
o Young (teenaged) workers
o Entry level workers

What are the effects?

Effects are said to vary based off location and who we are
referring to. The following subsections demonstrate how the
analyzed sources break down and predict these effects.

Small businesses
Previously mentioned Virginia Foxx lays out how she
believes the aftermath will affect small businesses by
saying “Without the cash reserves or profit margins to
absorb the increase in labor costs, small businesses will
have a choice of several bad options. Among their choices
are laying off workers, raising prices on their customers,
replacing workers with robots, or going out of business."

She backs up this claim by referencing the National

Federation of Independent Business claiming “businesses
with fewer than 500 employees will account for 57 percent
of job losses, and businesses with fewer than 100
employees will account for 43 percent of job
losses." (Foxx, Cons of Minimum Wage).

Another anti-raise source from The Hill written by Jarrett

Skorup adds to the argument by claiming that successful
businesses and dining establishments encourage these
raises to eliminate smaller competition. He believes that
the increase in wages may keep large corporations one
step ahead (Skorup, Six reasons to oppose).

Furthermore, yet another source in opposition to the raise

written by Veronique de Rugy on PBS highlights the
ramifications she believes a raise may have on small
businesses. Rugy cites another source whne she says
"according to the Small Business Administration, 99.7
percent of all businesses in America are small and not
Raschke 11

large, wealthy corporations." (Rugy, Why a $15

minimum).

In other words, Rugy attempts to emphasize just how

expansive she believes the effects of a federal raise would
be.

Rural populations
Pro-raise Wolf from CNN acknowledges that a steep raise
may be harder to navigate in regions of the country where
the minimum wage remains the federal minimum, or
regions with a higher population of minimum wage
earners. He claims that according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, afflicted areas “are in the South – Louisiana,
Mississippi and South Carolina” (Wolf, Everything you
need to know).

Smith from Forbes builds on this acknowledgment by

stating “it’s important to note that effects can vary by
location... $15 federal minimum wage could affect states
like Kentucky or Alabama in much more consequential
ways than states like California or New York, where prices
and wages are already higher." (Smith, Minimum Wage
Debate).

Smith also ties this concern into the risk for small
businesses by pointing out that profit margins are likely
smaller in these areas due to a decreased cost of living.

Service workers
Many sources from both sides agree that workers in the
service industry are at a higher risk that other
occupations. Zachary Wolf explains why this is when he
lets us know that "the top industry for people making
minimum wage is the service industry, particularly food
service." (Wolf, Everything you need to know).

The question remains, what are they at risk of?

Raschke 12

Pro-raise Sanders believes that some may be at the brunt

of a “scandal” when referring to the tipped wage. He
claims that restaurant lobbyists have “spent millions in
campaign contributions and lobbying expenses since 1991
to keep workers in poverty." (Sanders, We Must Raise the
Minimum).

In this regard, the risk is exploitation.

Smith from Forbes references research associate Daniel

Kuehn, who suggests that service industries may be able
to reduce some of the negative effects from a federal
increase by “reducing fringe benefits." (Smith, Minimum
Wage Debate).

Fringe benefits are a popular choice among the service

industry and include things like free shift meals or
discounted merchandise.

Our source from PBS counters this argument by

expressing concerns that this would not be the outcome.
Rugy feels that the restaurant industry will not be so
tolerable to a jump in minimum wage. She feels that large
corporations may instead opt for automation, and smaller
restaurants may not be able to handle the shock
altogether.

She explains this reasoning by saying “employers in a

competitive industry with razor-thin margins (like fast-
food or retail), whose payroll costs might represent one-
third or more of operating expenses, will respond to a 100
percent increase in wages [with] his or her low-skilled
workers… There are plenty of automated substitutes, as
we have seen in Europe and we are starting to see in
America. The existence of such substitutes means that
even “rich” employers will employ fewer low-skilled
workers when the minimum wage rises." (Rugy).
Raschke 13

In other words, Rugy feels that service jobs would simply

disappear in the wake of a federal raise rather than
bouncing back as previously suggested.

As a final point from Rugy in regard to the effects on the

service industry, she quotes the projections of one labor
economist James Sherk stating “a $15 minimum wage
would cause a 36 percent drop in hours worked in fast-
food chains." (Rugy, Why a $15 minimum).

Low-income parties
The research surrounding low-income parties is a bit
more substantial and focuses more on the actual
monetary values we stand to lose or gain from a change in
policy.

For example, Foxx from North Carolina expresses great

concern that "[T]he CBO predicts, by 2025, there would
be a $9 billion net reduction in family income resulting
from a $15 minimum wage." (Foxx, Cons of Minimum
Wage).

This would suggest that Foxx believes the increase would

actually be damaging for low-income families.

Jarrett Skorup adds to this argument by sharing his belief

that "It will raise prices for those who can afford it the
least.” (Skorup)

However, Skorup also goes on to express that he doesn’t

believe low-income individuals living with family can be
considered “low-income.” He expresses this when he says
“most people who earn low wages aren’t living in
poverty — in fact, most live in families earning more than
the average U.S. income. That’s because most are the
second (or third or fourth) income earners in a family, not
the primary one. Most people who live in poverty don’t
work at all, and only 10 percent of adults in poor
households work full time. " (Skorup, Six reasons to
oppose).
Raschke 14

However, US senator Bernie Sanders begs to differ. He

firmly believes that many Americans “are struggling every
day to provide a minimal standard of living for their
families," and "At a time of massive and growing income
and wealth inequality and record-breaking corporate
profits, we must stand up for working families.”
(Sanders).

As previously mentioned, Sanders also expresses great

concern for impoverished children in these situations, and
families with an inability to create savings.

Be backs up this claim utilizing MIT’s living wage

calculator, sharing this example; "For two working adults
and one child, a living hourly wage for each adult would
be $18.69 in West Virginia, [and] "a single mother in
West Virginia would need to make $33.39 an hour to
support herself and one child."(Sanders).

For addition low-come workers, Sanders discloses a huge

distaste for the sub-minimum wage allowed for tipped
workers, which he states, “has been stuck at an abysmally
low $2.13 an hour for more than 30 years,” (Sanders, We
Must Raise the Minimum).

But just how many people can be grouped into this

category?

According to the article written Kelly Anne Smith, "In

2019, 392,000 workers earned exactly the minimum
wage, 1.2 million workers earned below the minimum
wage, [and] according to an analysis of the $15 minimum
wage increase from the Congressional Budget Office, 17
million Americans have earnings below $15 per hour and
would be directly affected by the hike." (Smith).

According to these numbers, a substantial amount of

citizens stand to be affected by this topic.
Raschke 15

Within the contents of her article, Smith reveals many

more statistical estimates for stakeholders including “A
federal minimum wage hike to $15 per hour would lift
nearly one million people out of poverty and nearly 27
million workers would be affected by the increase… [and]
a $10 per hour hike would have much smaller effects for
workers and would have negligible effects on the number
of people in poverty." (Smith, Minimum Wage Debate).

She ends this argument by sharing what she believes is

obvious in relation to low-wage earners, and that is that a
reduction in spending power can only mean that these
parties are falling further into poverty as time progresses.

But how do we determine who is living in poverty?

Wolf from CNN expands on what it means for an

individual’s wages to be considered at poverty level, and
how this affects parenthood. "The federal poverty level in
2021 is $12,880. So a single person working full time and
making minimum wage is technically above the poverty
level. However, if the person has a dependent and is
making minimum wage, they fall below the federal
poverty level of $17,420." (Wolf).

In addition to this, he shares his own statistic from the

CBO claiming “$15 [minimum wage] would raise worker
pay by $333 billion for 17 million workers whose pay is at
or below the minimum and could also affect 10 million
workers whose pay is slightly above… Nearly 1 million
people would be pulled above the poverty level and the
government would spend less money on food assistance
programs." (Wolf, Everything you need to know).

He utilizes these estimates to encourage his believe that a

raise in the minimum wage may be good for the economy
as well as low earners.
Raschke 16

Disadvantaged parties
Disadvantaged parties often tend to be low earners. CNN
journalist Zachary B. Wolf explains that "according to
BLS, [the lowest earners] are mostly young and they are
less likely to have more than a high school education, if
that. They are more likely to be working part-time than
full-time. A larger portion are women than men, and they
are less likely to married."

This is why they are commonly referenced when sources

discuss the possibilities of job loss, increases in pay, and
wage disparities.

Bernie Sanders does just that when he claims “[raising the

minimum] would provide an increase in pay for tens of
millions of desperate Americans – disproportionately
women and people of color." (Sanders, We Must Raise the
Minimum).

In other words, he brings attention to disadvantaged

workers when discussing wage policy.

In her article “What You Need To Know About The

Minimum Wage Debate” Smith explains why her research
agrees. She reveals that "Research about raising the
minimum wage in 1966 reveals it led to a significant drop
in earnings inequality between Black and white
Americans, accounting for more than 20% in the
reduction in racial earnings and the income gap,” and
"a separate EPI analysis notes that it has also remained
unequal by race, with significant widening gaps in wages
between Black and white Americans.” (Smith).

This is why she believes “A stagnant minimum wage is

clearly becoming a proponent of the widening racial
wealth gap in the country." (Smith, Minimum Wage
Debate).

In contrast, Virginia Foxx insists "Those hurt the most by

this bill would be female workers, young workers, and
Raschke 17

those with less than a high school diploma,” and adds that
“[the] CBO estimates that as many as three jobs could be
lost for every one person pulled out of poverty." (Foxx,
Cons of Minimum Wage).

It would appear that Foxx acknowledges disadvantaged

workers as a part of the issue, but disagrees on how they
are at risk.

Opinion contributor Jarrett Skorup further opposes the

effects on disadvantaged groups by stating "The current
minimum wage law gives narrow exceptions to youths and
people with disabilities because these government wage
mandates harm these workers the most and they tend to
be the first ones laid off or not hired altogether… "It
eliminates entry level jobs... which means fewer people
will get the opportunity to learn these important skills.
This mostly harms low-skilled individuals and low-
income households, the very people most in need of new
employment opportunities." (Skorup)

Skorup then lets us know that according to the CBO the

actual number of jobs we stand to lose to a $15 minimum
is “1.7 million jobs with no corresponding increase in
overall wages." (Skorup, Six reasons to oppose).

Rugy from PBS shares a similar estimate, stating that “an

increase… to $10.10 per hour would cost about 500,000
jobs." (Rugy, Why a $15 minimum).

However, Smith from Forbes cites one professor of

economics at the University of Massachusetts and
research associate at the National Bureau of Economic
Research to disagree with these numbers.

He allegedly claims, “a national minimum wage increase

to $15 per hour, using the CBO report’s evidence, would
lead to just under 500,000 lost jobs... [and] claims the
report only looks at a select sample of studies to draw its
Raschke 18

conclusions and is inconsistent with the formula it uses to

calculate its estimates." (Rugy, Why a $15 minimum).

As you can see, there appears to be a vast difference in the numbers

being referenced by all parties involved, and therein lies the nature of
the beast. With so much uncertainty, policy makers have found
themselves in a standoff of sorts.

Which leads to the final question; how are we proposing to solve this
issue?

Action
The article referenced by Kelly Anne Smith discusses three plans
presented during the covid 19 pandemic:

Bernie Sanders’ plan

As many people in the US probably remember from the 2016
election, Bernie Sanders originally proposed tackling the issue
at hand by instating a $15 federal minimum wage. What may be
less common knowledge, however, is how he suggests we do it.

Wolf from CNN informs us that "Sanders wants to raise the

minimum wage incrementally – by $1 or $1.50 each year – until
it reaches $15 per hour in 2025," and "Rather than rely on
Congress to agree on raising the minimum wage again in 10
years or so, a bill introduced by Sanders would require it to be
raised each year by the Department of Labor based on Bureau
of Labor Statistics data." (Wolf, Everything you need to know).

A quick look at the senators website reveals that this bill did in
fact pass the House of Representatives in 2021, but was
ultimately turned down by a Republican majority senate.

The senator reveals that he has since upped his original

proposition to $17 an hour by stating "it is not radical to suggest
that raising the minimum wage to $17 an hour over a period of
several years is the right thing to do,” and explains that " had
my 2015 bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour that
Raschke 19

was indexed to median wages became law, the federal minimum

wage this January would be at least $17.40 an hour." (Sanders).

He claims that "these two proposals would provide an increase

in pay for tens of millions of desperate Americans.” (Sanders,
We Must Raise the Minimum).

Romney and Cotton’s plan

Writer Smith expands on the bill introduced in 2021 by sharing
the counterplans presented by opposing parties. Amongst those
plans is the Romney and Cotton plan.

In her article, she states: "Sen. Mitt Romney (UT) and Sen. Tom
Cotton (AR) offered a counterproposal of raising the minimum
wage to $10 per hour over four years—but employers would
have to prove that their workers are legally
documented." (Smith, Minimum Wage Debate).

The projected effects of this counterproposal have been

previously referenced in this document.

Josh Hawley’s plan

Senator Josh Hawley’s plan does not propose raising the
minimum wage, but rather taxing large businesses.

Smith reveals this plan when she states "lawmakers are

proposing a “Plan B”: Taxing companies that have revenues of
$1 billion or more if they don’t pay their employees a $15 wage.
The proposal was put forth by Republican Senator Josh Hawley
(MO)." (Smith, Minimum Wage Debate).

In recent years, sources reveal that there has been a substantial

amount of action towards updating wage policy outside of the 3
previously mentioned plans.

Raise The Wage Act 2023

Perhaps the most current proposal is the Raise The Wage Act.
Raschke 20

According to Ben Zipperer at the Economic Policy Institute,

this act “would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $17
an hour by 2028. The bill would also gradually raise and then
eliminate subminimum wages for tipped workers, workers with
disabilities, and youth workers, so that all workers covered by
the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) would be at the same wage
level.” (Zipperer, The impact of the Raise).

This new act was introduced on July 25, 2023.

What has already been done?

Senator Bernie Sanders shares that since 2013, “cities and
states all across the country are taking the low-wage crisis into
their own hands and raising their minimum wage… Some are
doing it through legislative action. Others are doing it through
ballot initiatives… Every single one of these initiatives passed,
none with less than 55% of the vote." (Sanders, We Must Raise
the Minimum).

According to the source written by Zachary Wolf, "29 [states]

have a minimum wage higher than $7.25 and 45 cities have a
minimum wage higher than their state, according to
the Economic Policy Institute. A large portion of the states with
a minimum wage higher than $7.25 raise it automatically with
inflation." (Wolf).

One could draw from this that many politicians have already
taken action.

Furthermore, Wolf shares that a few large corporations have

created minimum wages of their own. In his article he states
“Amazon and Target – under public pressure from activists,
have committed to their own $15 minimum wage." (Wolf,
Everything you need to know).

So, do we need to raise the minimum wage at all? Republican

representative Virginia Foxx argues no. Her thoughts recorded in
“The Congressional Digest” show that she believes our economy is
“booming” and natural labor competition is the driving force.
Raschke 21

In her words, "With unemployment near a 50-year low, the

competition for employees is driving wages up… With 7.3 million
unfilled jobs nationwide, job creators know they must offer
competitive wages and benefits to attract and retain workers, so it is
bewildering that Democrats want to pass this ill-advised legislation,
which would wreak havoc on the economic progress we have achieved
over the last few years… Instead of stifling our booming economy by
forcing employers to implement a crippling, mandated wage hike, we
should advance legislation that empowers communities, creates
opportunities, and opens doors for workers." (Foxx, Cons of
Minimum Wage).

Veronique de Rugy agrees with this by citing a few researchers from

the Federal Reserve Bank. In her article she says that their research
“shows that minimum wages increase poverty — and hence poverty
reduction shouldn’t be expected as a benefit of raising the minimum
wage... As Neumark [explains] “the principal sources of an
individual’s higher earnings are more schooling and the accumulation
of experience and skills in the labor market,” both of which are
discouraged by increases in the minimum wage. Though an increase
raises the wages of some people, it also reduces the employment of
others, namely young and low-skilled people.” (Rugy)

She then further explains how minimum wage may actually be

harmful by saying “the 2008 book “Minimum Wages,” generally
found a 1 percent or 2 percent reduction for teenage or very low-skill
employment for each 10 percent minimum-wage increase." (Rugy,
Why a $15 minimum).

Some sources agree that the best action, is no action.

However, according to Kelly Anne Smith, "Americans support a $15

minimum wage; [and] a recent poll from Reuters/Ipsos found 59% of
respondents are in favor of the idea. (Smith, Minimum Wage
Debate).

Conclusion
The ongoing minimum wage debate is complicated, and it is hard to see a
clear path forward given its highly polarized nature.
Raschke 22

The key takeaways for stakeholders divided into components of stasis

theory go as follows:

• Conjecture
o The minimum wage has not been increased since 2009, and
therefore has seen a reduction in spending power.
o Policy makers are currently debating this issue, but with little
progress.
• Definition
o The issue centers around conflicting morality, and economic
concern.
o All sides present a concern for the wellbeing of people but
disagree on how these concerns present themselves.
o All sides express a desire for a better economy and progressive
success but disagree on a means to achieve this.
• Quality
o Those most at risk are small businesses, less populated areas,
service workers, low-income parties, and parties at a
disadvantage.
o The risks to these stakeholders are not agreed upon, but
generally center around, poverty, job loss, wage disparity,
automation, inflation, business closures, an increased quality of
life.
• Action
o One well-known proposal is the $15 minimum wage, but this
number may be increasing.
o Some sources propose that minimum wage itself may be
causing poverty and suggest letting competition set wages.
o States and companies have slowly been increasing wages in the
absence of new federal legislation.

Due to the lack of congruence within the statistics presented by experts,

uncertainty is both encouraging this debate and refraining progress. It will
be interesting to see if or when policymakers can land on an agreement.
Raschke 23

Works Cited
Sanders, Bernie. “We Must Raise the Minimum Wage to a Living Wage "
Senator Bernie Sanders.” Senator Bernie Sanders, 18 Apr. 2023,
www.sanders.senate.gov/op-eds/we-must-raise-the-minimum-wage-
to-a-living-wage/.

Jarrett Skorup, opinion contributor. “Six Reasons to Oppose a $15 Federal

Minimum Wage.” The Hill, The Hill, 30 Jan. 2021,
thehill.com/opinion/finance/535936-six-reasons-to-oppose-a-15-
federal-minimum-wage/.

Foxx, Virginia. “Cons of Minimum Wage: Should Congress Raise the

Federal Minimum Wage?” The Congressional Digest, vol. 100, no. 4,
Congressional Digest, 2021, pp. 19-.

Smith, Kelly Anne. “What You Need to Know about the Minimum Wage
Debate.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 13 Oct. 2022,
www.forbes.com/advisor/personal-finance/minimum-wage-debate/.

Wolf, Zachary B. “Everything You Need to Know about the Debate over the
$15 Minimum Wage | CNN Politics.” CNN, Cable News Network, 26
Feb. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/02/22/politics/minimum-wage-15-
dollar-debate-explainer/index.html.

Rugy, Veronique de. “Column: Why a $15 Minimum Wage Should Scare
US.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 9 Sept. 2016,
www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/column-15-minimum-wage-scare-
us.

“Pro/Con: Raise the Minimum Wage; Workers Deserve to Share in the

Benefits of Growth.” Duluth News Tribune, Duluth News Tribune, 23
Jan. 2022, www.duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/columns/pro-con-
raise-the-minimum-wage-workers-deserve-to-share-in-the-benefits-
of-growth.

Languageandhumor. “Wage Increase.” Language and Humor, 10 Dec.

2015, languageandhumor.wordpress.com/tag/wage-increase/.
Raschke 24

“Counterargument.” Raising Minimum Wage,

minimumwageraised.weebly.com/counterargument.html. Accessed 19
Nov. 2023.

Maier, Rachael. “Finding Middle Ground in the Minimum Wage

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