The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would gradually boost the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by the year 2025.
"We haven’t had a raise in the minimum wage in the United States for ten years now, and certainly workers all across the country and particularly in Florida deserve a raise," says Congressman Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg). He voted in favor of the bill.
"Things are getting more expensive all the time. It’s harder and harder to make ends meet, and this is just the right thing to do for the American people to help them out.”
The bill isn’t likely to get a hearing in the U.S. Senate. Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says a minimum wage increase would depress the booming economy. President Donald Trump has also said he would veto the bill.
"Some of these people I think are really not in touch with what's happening in the overall economy," Crist says. "The stock market may be doing well and people with 401(k)s may be happy, but not every American is participating in that and they don't have financial advisors. They're having financial difficulties."
Most states, including Florida, have minimum wages above the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. Florida’s minimum is $8.46.
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