Biden to sign $15 minimum wage executive order for federal contractors
- Hans Nichols, author of Axios Sneak Peek
U.S. President Joe Biden, left, waves as he walks with First Lady Jill Biden after exiting Marine One on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Sunday, April 25, 2021. Mike Theiler/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Biden will sign an executive order on Tuesday requiring federal contractors to pay workers a minimum wage of $15 an hour.
Why it matters: The order will make good on a promise Biden made his second day in office to raise the minimum wage for a range of federal workers.
- A White House fact sheet describes the workforce, which includes cleaning, maintenance and cafeteria workers, as "critical to the functioning of the federal government."
The big picture: Biden will hold a number of events this week to claim progress on the 100 day promises he made at the beginning of his presidency.
- He will mark his 100th day on Friday with a trip to Georgia, a red state that he flipped in 2020 that then delivered two Democratic senators — and the majority — in a special election on Jan. 5.
The big picture: Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer failed in their effort to include a $15 federal minimum wage in Biden’s signature $1.9 trillion stimulus package, after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that it couldn’t be included under budget reconciliation rules.
- Biden said afterwards that he would push for Congress to pass a standalone bill to raise the minimum wage.
- But eight Senate Democrats voted against a measure to attach the $15 minimum wage provision to the stimulus package, suggesting a standalone bill may not have enough votes to pass Congress even without Republicans.