Press Releases
Congresswoman Escobar Invites El Pasoans to Respond to Online Minimum Wage Increase Survey
El Paso, TX,
February 19, 2021
This week, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) is inviting El Pasoans to share their opinion about the federal minimum wage and Congressional Democrats’ proposal to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to increase $15 per hour by 2025 as part of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan. Through this provision, the minimum wage would increase to $9.50 an hour this year, then to $11 next year, $12.50 in 2023, $14 in 2024, and then $15 in 2025. The current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour and has not been increased since 2009. Over 200 El Pasoans have already responded to the online survey, which was launched on February 13, 2021 and announced on Congresswoman Escobar’s e-newsletter. The online survey is available in English and Spanish at escobar.house.gov/survey until February 21, 2021 at 10:00 p.m. MT. “The current $7.25 per hour minimum wage makes it nearly impossible for El Paso workers to afford basic necessities and support their families – especially in the midst of a devastating pandemic,” said Congresswoman Escobar. “Our community’s poverty rate is one of the highest in Texas and increasing the minimum wage will not only lift families out of poverty, but the approach will allow our businesses to adjust to the increase. I strongly support raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour and as I work in Congress to ensure this provision becomes law, I am asking El Pasoans to share their opinion and experiences on how it would impact their lives.” On February 10, 2021, Congresswoman Escobar and her Congressional Progressive Caucus colleagues secured the inclusion of a $15 minimum wage in the House of Representatives’ pandemic relief reconciliation package. According to a Congressional Budget Office report, a $15 minimum wage would give 27 million low-wage workers a raise and lift nearly one million people out of poverty. Other reports show that 41% of workers in Texas’ 16th Congressional District will be positively impacted by a $15 minimum wage increase, with the average annual wage increase per worker being $4,400.
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