Conservative Sen. Josh Hawley wants to raise federal minimum wage

Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley plans to introduce legislation Tuesday to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour — a position that aligns one of the most conservative Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill with some of the most liberal members of Congress.

The legislation, called the "Higher Wages for American Workers Act," would raise the federal standard starting in 2026 and would also call for an increase in subsequent years to match inflation, CBS News has exclusively learned. Vermont Democratic Sen. Peter Welch has signed on as a co-sponsor.

"For decades, working Americans have seen their wages flatline. One major culprit of this is the failure of the federal minimum wage to keep up with the economic reality facing hard-working Americans every day," Hawley said in a statement to CBS News. "This bipartisan legislation would ensure that workers across America benefit from higher wages."

"We're in the midst of a severe affordability crisis, with families in red and blue states alike struggling to afford necessities like housing and groceries," Welch said in a statement to CBS. "A stagnant federal minimum wage only adds fuel to the fire. Every hard-working American deserves a living wage that helps put a roof over their head and food on the table–$7.25 an hour doesn't even come close."

The federal minimum wage currently sits at $7.25 per hour and has not risen since 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The move by Hawley puts him at odds with conservative party orthodoxy, which has traditionally opposed a federal minimum wage increase on the grounds that it would be costly for businesses and ultimately, for consumers. But Hawley's pitch is reflective of the party's realignment in the Trump era, where the president's brand of populism has fueled a shift among working-class voters away from Democrats and towards Republicans.

Hawley has been pushing Republicans to embrace this shift. The minimum wage legislation is part of a broader, aspirational package of legislative proposals he dubbed the "Pro-Worker Framework for the 119th Congress." This includes a proposal to help strengthen protections for union jobs, as well as for organizing and collective bargaining.

Earlier this year, he teamed up with Sen. Bernie Sanders to introduce legislation to cap credit card interest rates at 10%. And in the last Congress, he introduced legislation that would require companies with revenues of $1 billion or more to pay their employees at least $15 per hour. In recent weeks, Hawley has been urging his party against cuts to Medicaid benefits in the budget reconciliation bill.

In November, voters in Hawley's home state of Missouri approved a ballot measure to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour, starting in 2026. But the Legislature repealed part of the law that would allow later increases to adjust for inflation.

Earlier this year, President Trump rescinded a Biden-era executive order that raised the minimum wage for federal contractors to $17.75 per hour. At his Senate confirmation hearing in January, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he does not support raising the federal minimum wage, arguing that it is a decision best left up to the states.