Advocates Push Federal Government for $25 Minimum Wage Amid Affordability Crisis

The federal government faces renewed pressure to mandate a $25-an-hour minimum wage nationwide as the affordability crisis squeezes American families.

"I think there's an increasing cry of frustration, outrage, and disgust. People feel they have to work two and three jobs to make ends meet," One Fair Wage President Saru Jayaraman told Fox News Digital. "They never see their loved ones. They don't even have a life. This is a bipartisan issue among voters."

One Fair Wage belongs to a national coalition of more than 100 organizations, including teachers' unions and progressive lawmakers, that is pushing for the $25 federal minimum wage floor. The current federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25 since 2009.

Rep. Analilia Mejia, D-N.J., one of the primary sponsors, introduced the Living Wage for All Act last week. Mejia, a progressive backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., supports Medicare for All, a wealth tax, and the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As a founding member of the Living Wage for All coalition, she is using the bill as her first major legislative effort since winning a special election for New Jersey's 11th District in a landslide last month.

One Fair Wage said voters across the political spectrum are mobilized by the issue. "We're seeing so many MAGA voters excited about a $25 minimum wage," Jayaraman said. "We see people on all spectrums—and frankly the vast majority who are not politically affiliated at all—saying, ‘I don't care about Republicans, Democrats, or Independents; what I care about is can I feed my family and who's going to deliver for me?’"

Voters in the 2024 and 2025 election cycles prioritized the cost of living. Jayaraman noted that Donald Trump’s 2024 victory rested on promises to make life more affordable, while 2025 saw progressives like Zohran Mamdani win the New York City mayoral race on an affordability platform.

The movement has notched localized successes. In March, One Fair Wage launched a ballot initiative in Oakland, California, to raise the minimum wage to $30 an hour, in partnership with the United Auto Workers. If passed, large businesses with over 100 employees and $1 billion in annual revenue would have until 2030 to reach $30.

Similar "30 by '30" mandates have been proposed or signed in Los Angeles by Mayor Karen Bass and are under consideration by the New York City Council.

Proponents call the wage hike a necessity, but critics warn of severe economic fallout. The House passed the Housing for the 21st Century Act in a 390-9 bipartisan vote last February to boost affordable housing supply.

Rebekah Paxton, research director of the conservative Employment Policies Institute, said a $25 federal mandate could be a "job killer." "A federal $25 an hour mandate is reckless and ignores scores of economic studies that show drastic wage hikes kill jobs," Paxton told Fox News Digital. "Estimates for lower federal wage hikes show up to 1.2 million lost jobs. This proposal would supersize those layoffs and create negative economic impacts for American businesses."