In July 2019, the House of Representatives passed the Raise the Wage Act by a vote of 231-199. Although the vote was mostly partisan, three Republicans - Reps. Francis Rooney of Florida, Chris Smith of New Jersey, and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania - broke ranks with their party to vote for the bill, whereas six Democrats - Reps. Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico, Anthony Brindisi of New York, Kendra Horn of Oklahoma, Kurt Schrader of Oregon, Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, and Ben McAdams of Utah - voted against it. According to a Pew Research Center poll taken between just two and three months prior to the vote, two-thirds of Americans support the bill, which would raise the minimum wage over the course of several years to $15 an hour, including 86% of Democrats. Knowing this, why would these Democratic representatives oppose an issue that nearly nine out of ten voters in their base support?
In March 2014, in advance of a Senate vote on a bill to raise minimum wage (albeit to $10.10 rather than $15), 20 trade associations signed a letter in opposition to the bill, claiming that "raising the minimum wage will be detrimental to job creation and low-skilled workers trying to get started on the economic ladder." The letter's signatories included the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC), the National Restaurant Association, and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
Since the vote, the USCC has contributed $2,500 each in PAC money to Torres Small, Brindisi, Schrader, and McAdams. Meanwhile, the National Restaurant Association's PAC has since contributed $2,500 each to, with the exception of Cunningham, all Democratic representatives who voted against the bill. Also, the PAC for the NFIB has contributed $1,500 each to Brindisi, Horn, Schrader, and McAdams since last July.
In addition to PAC money, four of these six representatives have taken money from lobbyists representing the latter two associations since their votes against the bill. David Castagnetti, David Thomas, and Paul Thornell, all lobbyists for the National Restaurant Association, have respectively contributed $1,000, $500, and $500 to Cunningham, while Torres Small has received $1,500 from Steven Haro and $600 from Thomas, and Horn and McAdams each have taken $500 from Thornell. Additionally, NFIB lobbyist Regina Mahony has contributed $500 each to Torres Small and Cunningham, and $1,000 to Horn.
In the aftermath of the bill's passage in the House, it's lead sponsor, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), celebrated by "[commending] my colleagues for taking this important step towards creating an economy that works for everyone. Now, Senate Republicans must decide to either stand with American workers or turn their backs on hardworking people across the country." Despite this, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said he will not bring the bill to a Senate floor vote.
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