Minimum wage is the lowest an employer can pay its workers on an hourly basis. The federal government enacted the minimum wage laws but each state can have their own individual laws on minimum wage. The cost of living has gradually gone up and many families cannot keep up with it because of such low income they are receiving due to the low minimum wage laws that the federal and state government have in place. There are currently 13 states that have passed legislation that can change their minimum wage laws so it better helps the lower income individuals and out those 13 states, 9 have already increased their minimum wage (Job Growth Picks up in States That Raised Minimum Wage). Over the years, many workers have suffered from inflation and the cost of living has gone up …show more content…
Those affected by low minimum wage laws are not only limited to low income or middle class workers but taxpayers also. If a low income worker needs government aid that has to be paid for by taxpayers. Increasing the minimum wage comes with many benefits to workers and the government such as more income means more money individuals will be able to spend and families that rely on government aid because of low wages will ideally no longer need them because of higher payment they will receive. Many democrats and supporters have pushed to raise the federal minimum wage to better reflect the current cost of living, while other states have already taken initiative and increased their own minimum wage laws. The increase of the federal minimum wage is difficult to execute because of the republican political party, they argue that increasing the minimum wage will cause job loss, a rise in prices, and less hours an employee can work. Although it is unclear if increasing the minimum wage will have negative effects on employment, supporters still anticipate that the increase in minimum wage will reduce