California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that California’s minimum wage would increase to $17.40 an hour beginning in January 2027.
At the same time, Newsom criticized the Trump administration and Republicans over the national minimum wage rate, which has been set at $7.25 an hour since 2009.
Congress has not voted to increase the federal minimum wage since July 2009, although several bills have been introduced. One percent of the workers in the country earn the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“For years, Donald Trump and Republicans have blocked efforts to raise the federal minimum wage while handing tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations,” Newsom said, according to a press release. …