A group of Republican senators has proposed gradually increasing the federal minimum wage over the next five years, with provisions to prevent illegal immigrants from benefiting from it.
GOP Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Tom Cotton (R-AK), and others announced legislation on Wednesday that would raise the federal minimum wage to $11 per hour by 2028. The Higher Wages for American Workers Act would also require that employers confirm new hires’ work eligibility through the E-Verify system.
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“American workers today compete against millions of illegal immigrants for too few jobs with wages that are too low — that’s unfair,” Cotton said. “Ending the black market for illegal labor will open up jobs for Americans. Raising the minimum wage will allow Americans filling those jobs to better support their families. Our bill does both.”
The current federal minimum wage is $7.25, a level it has remained at for the past 14 years. Democrats have been pushing for a boosted minimum wage, as high as $17, but the immigration status provision will undoubtedly cost support for the proposal from the party.
E-Verify is the federal software that is used to confirm that a person is in the U.S. legally and eligible to work, although its use is currently voluntary at the federal level. The legislation would also increase penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants or violate employment eligibility verification forms.
The law would require adult workers to provide their employer with a photo ID, which would be cross-referenced if there is an available photo in the E-Verify system. It also grants $100 million in annual automatic funding to safeguard the E-Verify system from government shutdowns and authorizes Congress to appropriate more funding on an as-needed basis.
Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and J.D. Vance (R-OH) have also signed onto the plan.
After 2028, the legislation would index future increases in the minimum wage to median wage growth — a key point, given that inflation has far outpaced the current minimum wage and decreased its purchasing power for workers over time.
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“Our proposal would raise wages for millions of workers without risking jobs, and tether the wage to inflation to ensure it keeps up with rising costs,” Romney said. “Additionally, requiring employers to use E-Verify would ensure that the wage increase goes to legal workers, which would protect American jobs and eliminate a key driver of illegal immigration.”
This isn’t the first time that lawmakers have floated tethering increases in the minimum wage to employment verification. Cotton introduced legislation by the same name that included the same mechanisms back in 2021.