Today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a mother and member of the Senate Small Business Committee, highlighted the harmful impacts of a $15 per hour Washington-mandated minimum wage proposed by Democrats on Iowa small businesses and child care costs for working families.
Ernst shared testimonials from Iowans who described the potential detrimental impact of a $15 federal minimum wage on their businesses.
The Congressional Budget Office has already said a $15/hour federal minimum wage would cost 1.4 million jobs. Child care costs would increase an average of 21 percent per year for Iowa families according to another study.
Earlier this month, Ernst penned an op-ed in the Sioux City Journal describing the devastating impact of a national minimum wage spike to $15 an hour on Iowa small businesses. In an interview with Fox News, Ernst said the minimum wage hike would burden small businesses across Iowa and the nation at a time when they can least afford it.