This week, the House passed the Raise the Wage Act, legislation that will gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. According to a recent estimate by the Economic Policy Institute, raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour will give up to 33 million Americans a raise. Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it will lift 1.3 million out of poverty, including 600,000 children. House Democrats promised the American people that we would work to raise wages, and that was a promise kept this week. I urge the Senate to take up and pass this legislation to give hardworking Americans a well-deserved and long-overdue raise.   Next week, the House will bring the Butch Lewis Act to the Floor, which will address the multi-employer pension crisis. Approximately ten million Americans have paid into multi-employer pensions, and over one million of them are in plans that are running out of money through no fault of the beneficiaries. The Butch Lewis Act would allow the Treasury to sell special bonds that would finance loans to pension plans so that they can continue providing retirement security for retirees and workers. Those who work hard and contribute to their pensions should have the certainty to know they’ll receive the benefits they’ve earned when they retire.   Lastly, I am hopeful that we will soon reach an agreement to lift the current budget caps to responsibly fund government by the end of the fiscal year and to ensure our nation’s pay its bills as soon as possible. Funding the government and addressing the debt limit ought to be done now to provide our economy with certainty. I strongly urge the Administration to work in good faith with Congress to reach an agreement soon so we can avoid a Trump government shutdown at the end of the fiscal year and avoid the catastrophic consequences of default.

Sincerely yours, Steny H. Hoyer   P.S. Please invite your friends and family to sign up for this newsletter to learn more about how House Democrats are working For the People. You can also get the latest updates and join the conversation on my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

DEMOCRATIC NEWS UPDATE   On the Raise the Wage Act

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