Friend,

At yesterday’s U.S. Senate Budget Hearing, EPI President Thea Lee posed this question to Senator Bernie Sanders and the rest of the budget panel:
 
"Why do large, profitable corporations pay such low wages that their employees are eligible for and must rely on federal anti-poverty programs just to make ends meet? And what policies are necessary to address this problem?"
 
Take a moment to watch Thea explain why the pandemic is exactly the right time to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Why? Low-wage workers have been hardest hit:
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Our broken economy provides an inadequate standard of living for too many workers who are trapped in low-wage jobs. A uniform $15 federal minimum wage would provide a secure foundation and level playing field for young people and adults across the country.
 
Sen. Bernie Sanders agrees, tweeting: "Walmart & McDonald's pay wages so low that tens of thousands of their workers are forced to rely on food stamps, Medicaid & public housing. I invited the CEOs of these companies to a hearing to explain why they can't afford to pay a $15 minimum wage. Taxpayers deserve an answer."
 
You can see Thea Lee’s full testimony here.
 
We’re fighting to make sure millions of working people get paid what they deserve. Donate to the Economic Policy Institute today to fight back against Big Business and the Chamber of Commerce that are working to undermine the rights and wages of working families. Together, let’s make the transformational economic change U.S. workers need and deserve.
 
A higher federal minimum wage will significantly boost earnings and living standards for low-wage workers—especially those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic—and it will have direct and significant fiscal effects.
 
Take a moment to view this video from EPI's Ben Zipperer which documents the tremendous need to increase the minimum wage.
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Thank you for all you do to fight for an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.
 
Thank you,
 
Eve Tahmincioglu
Director of Communications, Economic Policy Institute
 
P.S. You can watch the full U.S. Senate Budget Committee hearing by clicking here; read Thea Lee’s full testimony here.
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