Senator Bill Cassidy backs effort to raise federal minimum wage for first time since 2007

Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy is backing a new effort to raise the federal minimum wage even as the Louisiana Legislature back home has rejected attempts to increase hourly pay on a state level year after year.

Cassidy, the ranking GOP member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, joined a group of Republican colleagues introducing Utah Sen. Mitt Romney's and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton's legislation that would gradually increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $11 over four years.

In response to a question from USA Today Network Tuesday, Cassidy said there "needs to be a a little more support" for lower income Americans who the senator said have been particularly hurt by inflation, which he blamed on President Biden's policies.

Congress hasn't raised the federal minimum wage since 2007, though surveys like a Pew Research Center poll show as many as two-thirds of Americans support an increase of up to $15 per hour. In Louisiana, a 2019 LSU poll showed 82% support for a minimum wage of up to $8.50.

A previous attempt by Romney, Cassidy and their Republican allies in 2021 to raise the wage to $10 an hour failed in the Democrat-controlled Senate because it wasn't considered a large enough increase. The new effort will almost certainly run into roadblocks with Democrats again.

"Some on the far left won't support it," said Cassidy, noting Sen. Bernie Sanders is advocating for $17 per hour. "But you can't let your vision of perfect be the enemy of the good.

"Why not start at something achievable? I think this will have broader support."

President Biden in 2021 tried to include a $15 minimum wage in the $1.9 trillion COVID stimulus relief package in an effort that also failed.

The latest annual attempts by Louisiana Democrats, including Gov. John Bel Edwards, to set a higher minimum state wage were rejected last spring with opponents arguing it would be a hardship on businesses and create job losses in a state where one in five live below the poverty rate.

“Since I’ve been governor, I’ve been asking that we increase the state minimum wage from $7.25 an hour,” Edwards said in a speech to open he 2023 Legislative Session. “It’s unacceptable. It was unacceptable in 2016. I think it’s downright immoral in 2023.”

The federal legislation supported by Cassidy would require employers to us the internet-based E-Verify system designed to prevent employers from hiring undocumented workers, a component Cassidy described as "immigration reform."

"It protects American jobs," Cassidy said.

The legislation would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $11 over four years and then index it to inflation every two years. Businesses with fewer than 20 employees would have a slower phase-in.

More: Senator Bill Cassidy, a doctor, believes Mitch McConnell fit to serve as minority leader

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy backs new effort to raise minimum wage