Harris Alarmed over CBO Report on $15 Minimum Wage

WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Andy Harris, M.D., issued a statement today in response to the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) report on the ramifications of any increase in the federal minimum wage. The CBO report reached multiple conclusions, including a projected net loss of over 1.4 million jobs over five years. In Maryland, current law already will gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, from its current $11.75 rate.

Congressman Harris issued the following statement:

"Our small businesses have suffered immensely over the last year due to government mandated shutdowns. Unfortunately, the one-party system in Annapolis has already subjected our businesses to steady minimum wage increases, and now Democrats in Washington are trying to ram through a similar jobs-killing minimum wage hike that will disproportionately impact young people seeking entry-level work and spike prices of consumer goods and services. The minimum wage is not a living wage, and all this increase will do is raise costs and force struggling businesses to cut additional positions to stay afloat. Specifically, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it will cost 1.4 million jobs nationally."