Four million is a big number; it’s also a devastating reality. As of 2022, four million Texans live below the poverty line. A main cause of this comes from the continued untaken action of constant pleas and efforts to raise the minimum wage.
In 2019, the House of Representatives passed an amended version of the “2019 Raise the Wage Act” which would gradually increase the minimum wage from the current $7.25 to $15 by 2025. However, the amended act did not pass the Senate, therefore it made no progress.
President Biden’s political agenda includes raising the minimum wage nationally, however many state and national leaders must agree before what sounds like a dream can turn into a new reality.
The national minimum wage should be increased because it would benefit the overall standard of living. It would help not only those who fall just below the poverty line, but everybody with a standard paycheck to have a more appropriate income to handle new costs of living.
A 2019 Congressional Budget report projected that if the hourly minimum wage increased to $15 by 2025, 17 million people nationally would have a significantly improved standard of living and 1.3 million people would be elevated above the poverty line.
When people have more money coming in, they have more money to spend, thus stimulating our economy. When businesses were shut down in the early stages of COVID-19, we were given money from the government for the sole purpose to spend it because that’s what keeps everything flowing steadily. It is a mutually beneficial relationship.
If employees get paid a decent minimum wage, they are likely to stay at the company longer. This change could reduce hiring and training costs while simultaneously boosting employee performance entirely.
We should raise the minimum wage because it is not only the right thing to do; it is the humane thing to do. Creating legislation to help our people survive should not be a topic that is up for debate. The cost of living is rising and minimum wage ceases to follow.