The Fight for (and Against) a $15 Minimum Wage

<p>The passage of the stimulus package last week ushered in an expansion of the social safety net that Democrats have celebrated. But one key policy was not included: a doubling of the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.  </p><p>Today, we look at the history of that demand, and the shifting political and economic arguments for and against it. </p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/ben-casselman?smid=pc-thedaily">Ben Casselman</a>, an economics and business reporter for The New York Times. </p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/signup/NTTD?smid=pc-thedaily">Sign up here</a> to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Earlier this month, a group of senators from both sides of the aisle <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/us/minimum-wage-senate.html?smid=pc-thedaily">declined to advance a federal minimum wage increase</a> to $15 an hour.</li><li>The politics of a higher minimum wage are increasingly muddled, but some <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/us/politics/republicans-minimum-wage.html?smid=pc-thedaily">Republicans are gravitating toward the idea</a>, citing the economic needs of working-class Americans.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily.</a></p><p>Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.</p>