SENATE DEMOCRATS PROPOSED A $25 FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE
Senate Democrats proposed a $25 minimum wage, and the bill is still waiting on a committee hearing.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, led the Living Wage For All Act, which Senate Democrats announced on June 25, 2026. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Andy Kim and Ron Wyden signed on as co-sponsors, according to Murphy’s press release. The federal minimum wage was $7.25 an hour at the time.
Murphy’s office framed the legislation as a way to guarantee a living wage for workers.
Murphy also pushed the idea publicly. The Hill quoted him saying: “I think our party should have bigger ideas. I put one on the table last week, a $25 minimum wage.”
What the bill would do
The bill would get to $25 an hour through a phase-in, and the text sets different deadlines depending on the employer. Large corporate employers would have to reach $25 by 2032, and other businesses by 2039, according to Congress.gov.
HuffPost and USA Today both gave deadlines a year earlier for each group. Murphy’s press release and the bill text match each other on the later dates.
The proposal would also phase out subminimum wages for tipped workers, workers with disabilities and youth workers.
Once the wage hits $25, it would be adjusted to two-thirds of the national median wage.
Blumenthal called a federal minimum-wage increase “long overdue” in a statement CT Insider reported.
A House twin and a tough road
HuffPost reported that the Senate proposal was identical to a House Democratic bill. USA Today reported that the House version was led by Reps. Delia Ramirez and Analilia Mejia.
HuffPost also reported that the bill was unlikely to become law while Republicans controlled both chambers and Donald Trump was president.
A separate proposal from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Bobby Scott was under Senate committee review, The Hill reported.
What happened next
Murphy formally introduced the bill as S. 4981 on July 14, 2026. It was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
On October 12, 2026, Yahoo News reported that the bill had not yet received a committee hearing. The current Congress ends in January 2027, and the bill would need to be reintroduced if it does not pass before then.
