A new poll found that a majority of Americans support increasing the hourly minimum wage to $15, as reported by Reuters.
A poll from Reuters/Ipsos asked respondents about increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 from the current $7.25, and framed the question in a number of different ways, according to Reuters.
When not given any other information about the policy, and asked plainly if they support an increase in the minimum wage to $15 by 2025, 59% of respondents answered they did, while 34% answered that they did not, Reuters reported.
Why are we setting a federal minimum wage at all? https://t.co/cHDBsgBfD0
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) February 25, 2021
In another version of the question, pollsters provided surveyed individuals with the information that “raising the minimum wage should lift some families out of poverty, but government economists also expect it could eliminate some low income jobs, potentially making some families worse off.” In this version of the question, 55% of respondents still answered favorably to the policy, Reuters reported. (RELATED: The Very Real Cost Of Democrats’ $15 Minimum Wage Experiment)
Of those polled by Reuters/Ipsos, 40% said that they or a member of their family would benefit from an increase in the federal minimum wage, according to Reuters.
The poll was conducted online and in English between Feb. 18 and Feb. 24 in the United States, Reuters reported. Of the 4,430 U.S. adults, 2,158 identified as Democrats, whereas 1,482 said they were Republicans. The Reuters/Ipsos poll had a credibility interval of plus or minus three percentage points, Reuters reported.
To be clear, the Dems should just overrule the parliamentarian if she says not to include the minimum wage in reconciliation. They won’t – but they should!
Republicans under Trent Lott actually fired the parliamentarian when he got in their way in 2001:https://t.co/GuuapOIcSC https://t.co/YQTj6CFLiA
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) February 25, 2021
Democrats are attempting to pass a $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 stimulus package that includes provisions for increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025 and then tie minimum wage growth to median wage growth moving forward. However, the provision might not make it into the final version of the COVID-19 stimulus due to the budget reconciliation process. The Senate parliamentarian is expected to determine whether or not Senate rules dictate Democrats can push this $15 minimum wage provision via the COVID-19 stimulus package Thursday, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Even if the Senate parliamentarian rules in Democrat’s favor, certain moderate Democrats, such as Democratic Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, have voiced opposition to the provision and could stop it from passing.