Trump nixes $17.75 minimum wage for federal contractors adopted by Biden [View all]

Source: Reuters

March 17, 2025 1:31 PM EDTUpdated an hour ago


March 17 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has rescinded an executive order issued by his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, that required businesses that contract with the federal government to pay workers a minimum wage of $17.75 an hour.

Trump, a Republican, late on Friday repealed nearly 20 Biden-era memos and executive orders touching on a range of topics, including the 2021 mandate that significantly raised pay for workers on federal contracts. Biden had initially raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour with automatic updates, and it rose to $17.75 in January. Federal contractors, including many of the country's largest companies, employ roughly 20% of the U.S. workforce.

For contracts entered into before Biden's order took effect on January 30, 2022, contractors will be required to pay workers $13.30 an hour under an Obama-era executive order. Other contractors will only be required to pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or applicable state minimum wages of up to $17.50 an hour.

President Barack Obama, a Democrat, had raised the minimum wage for federal contractors to $10.10 in 2014, with periodic increases. Biden's order replaced that mandate, but did not repeal it.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-judge-extend-block-trump-administration-ordering-mass-firings-2025-03-13/

---

Scraping every penny, literally like digging between the sofa cushions looking for money to give to the billionaires.

Contractors are much more than 20% of the federal workforce. It's closer to 50%.



(from here - https://www.brookings.edu/articles/is-government-too-big-reflections-on-the-size-and-composition-of-todays-federal-government/)