Republican leaders understand that the GOP has earned a reputation for championing the interests of the wealthy, but they occasionally make the case that the party has changed.
Around this time four years ago, for example, then-House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy declared, “The uniqueness of this party today is we’re the workers party.” Around the same time, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas wrote online, “The Republican Party is not the party of the country clubs, it’s the party of hardworking, blue-collar men and women.”
It’s difficult to say with confidence whether GOP leaders ever believed their own rhetoric when it came to workers’ interests, but Donald Trump continues to take steps that leave little doubt that the contemporary Republican Party is most certainly not “the workers party.” Bloomberg Law reported:
President Donald Trump scrapped Biden-era executive orders that raised the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 and drove federal infrastructure investments toward companies that agree to union neutrality. … In addition to union neutrality, the now canceled EO 14126 favored companies that offer equitable compensation practices and participate in registered apprenticeships.
In case anyone needs a refresher, it was in early 2014 when Barack Obama raised the minimum wage for federal contractors to $10.10 an hour. As we discussed at the time, because government contracts can be lucrative, and so many private enterprises want federal work, the Democratic president, with a stroke of a pen, gave a raise to a whole lot of employees. The shift also sent a message to the private sector that to compete in the labor force, businesses should follow suit.
Republicans were less than pleased but faced a messaging challenge: Since most Americans support a higher minimum wage, the GOP didn’t want to be seen attacking the Democrat for doing something popular. As an alternative, Republicans pretended to be outraged that Obama advanced one of his goals by way of an executive order.
Republican Rep. Randy Weber of Texas, for example, called Obama a “Socialistic dictator” and the “Kommandant-In-Chef.” (I assume he meant “chief.”) Then-House Speaker John Boehner suggested the minimum-wage hike for contractors was unconstitutional. Ted Cruz was so incensed that he wrote an op-ed condemning the “imperial presidency of Barack Obama.”
Undeterred, Biden built on the policy in 2021, raising the wage for federal contractors to $15, amid a series of related efforts to use White House power to encourage corporations that do business with the government to adopt pro-labor policies.
Trump has now used his power to undo all of these Biden-era steps.
The president’s move comes four months after he appeared on NBC News’ “Meet the “Press” and faced a question about the federal minimum wage. Host Kristen Welker reminded the Republican that the federal minimum wage has been $7.25 for more than 15 years and asked whether he was prepared to raise it. “It’s a very low number,” Trump conceded, referring to the status quo. “I will agree, it’s a very low number.” As the exchange continued, however, Trump, who has spent years offering confusing and contradictory positions on the issue, declared that he believes having a federal minimum wage doesn’t “work.” Evidently, he apparently believes raising the minimum wage for federal contractors doesn’t work, either.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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