New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez rejected the Republican Party’s last attempt to curb Democrats’ demands for a $ 15 federal minimum wage, saying any attempt to reduce the hourly wage was “legislated poverty” .
“When members of Congress struggle to set the minimum wage below the minimum wage, they play a role in creating and preserving poverty in the United States,” said Ocasio Cortez on Twitter on Tuesday.
“The $ 15 / hour proposal to start the multi-year phase is already a deep commitment,” she added. “$ 10 an hour is legislated poverty.”
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The New York Democrat’s comments were in response to legislation enacted on Tuesday by Republican Senators Mitt Romney of Utah and Tom Cotton of Arkansas calling for a minimum wage of $ 10 an hour under the New York Law. Higher Wages for American Workers.
The Republican proposal comes at a time when Democrats are pushing to raise the minimum wage over the next four years to $ 15 an hour, as part of President Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.
The Congressional Budget Office released a report earlier this month estimating that 1.4 million jobs would likely be lost if the minimum wage were raised to $ 15 an hour – a forecast that worries Republicans and some Democratic lawmakers.
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“Our legislation would increase the floor for workers without costing jobs,” said Romney, R-Utah, in a statement, adding: “We must create opportunities for American workers and protect their jobs, while eliminating one of the main drivers of immigration illegality. “
The Republican leadership in the Senate pledged to step back from the coronavirus aid package presented, calling it a “liberal wish list” on Tuesday.
The package is due to be voted on in the House on Friday, but if it passes the upper house, Senate Democrats may find that the minimum wage provision suspends the bill.
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Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have said they disagree with including a minimum wage agenda in the nearly $ 2 trillion aid package.
Megan Henney contributed to this report.