According to experts, minimum wage workers are poorer than ever.
Studies show that the buying power of the federal minimum wage is at its lowest level in 51 years. Despite the fact that 83% of Americans are in favor of an increase (50% are in strong support of an increase), there hasn’t been a full floor vote on the issue since 1997, when the last increase went into effect.

The pattern continued yesterday when the House Appropriations Committee (HAC) voted 34 to 28 against attaching a minimum wage amendment to an important spending bill. Essentially, this means that a vote cannot even take place on the House floor.

Interestingly, in the nine years since minimum wage was last raised, Congress has given itself nine pay increases to the tune of $35,000 a year. Compare that to the full-time minimum wage worker who has made $10,712 per year for nearly a decade. Tragically, this clear hypocrisy and indifference to poor people’s suffering has barely entered the public conversation. Today, the Senate will vote on an amendment to raise the federal minimum wage, in three gradual installments over two years, from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour. If passed, this would be a wonderful start towards a living wage for our most economically vulnerable citizens.

I won’t hold my breath.