The minimum wage rose starting July 1 for more than 880,000 workers in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. In D.C., the city’s minimum wage increases from $17.50 per hour to $17.95 per hour.
A dozen cities and counties, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, are also raising their minimum wage.
Nearly 6 in 10 workers who will see a bump are women and nearly half work full-time, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
Yahoo Finance
July 7, 2025
But if problems persist, or investigators find a pattern of violations, fines from ICE can range from $288 to $28,619 per worker, depending on the type and severity of the violation, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
“When employers are punished, the punishment and fines levied on employers are so minimal that they are unlikely to be effective at deterring illegal conduct, and the harshest penalties are rare because the legal standard for them is difficult to prove and they are reserved for repeat violators,” reads a report from the Economic Policy Institute.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
July 7, 2025
The OBBB is stunning only in how brazenly it takes from the bottom to give to the top. It should be embarrassing for any party to champion such a reverse-Robin Hood bill. It should be really embarrassing for a party hoping to convince people that it has changed its spots and is now really a champion for the working class. Given that it has been rammed through on a party-line vote with near-unanimous support from the GOP, we all know the truth.
Time Magazine
July 7, 2025
“The anticipated cuts to both Medicaid and SNAP threaten the economic security of millions of working families,” according to the Economic Policy Institute. The cuts to Medicaid will impact over six million Black children and teens, according to estimates.
The Black Wall Street Times
July 7, 2025
There are 2.4 million farmworkers in the United States, according to the Economic Policy Institute, 40% of whom the Agriculture Department estimates lack legal status.
CNN
July 7, 2025
In partnership with IPS and the Economic Policy Institute, Repairers of the Breach on Monday published The High Moral Stakes of Budget Reconciliation fact sheet, which examines the version of the budget bill previously passed by the House. The document highlights cuts to health coverage, funding for rural hospitals, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Common Dreams
July 7, 2025
In 2021, CEOS at the top 350 companies in the US earned 399 times the pay of an average worker, according to the Economic Policy Institute; in 1989 that ratio was 59-to-1, and in 1965 it was 20-to-1.
Bloomberg
July 7, 2025
“The top 20% would receive an average tax cut of $5,768 ,while those in the bottom 20% would only get $74 on average,” according to a Economic Policy Institute report that argues raising the minimum wage would have a greater impact on workers than the No Tax on Tips provision.
Latin Times
July 7, 2025
Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute, said Tuesday that the Republican bill “steals from the poor to give massive tax cuts to the wealthy.”
“If the Republicans wanted to add $4 trillion to the national debt, they could have instead written a $12,000 check to each and every adult and child in the United States,” said Shierholz. “However, this grotesque bill would cause the bottom 40% of households to lose income on average. This country deserves better than this dumpster fire of greed, cruelty, and cowardice.”
Common Dreams
July 7, 2025
But there are other measures included in the bill that could impact restaurants. The law expands funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and may result in more deportations of undocumented workers, which the Economic Policy Institute estimates would stymie economic growth.
Restaurant Dive
July 7, 2025