Graham Invites South Carolina Restaurant Owner, Labor Experts to Testify at Hearing on Job Killing Effects of Potential Federal Minimum Wage Hike
WHO: Mr. Carl Sobocinski, Founder and President, Table 301 Restaurant Group, Greenville, SC; Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin President, American Action Forum; and Mr. Jacob L. Vigdor, Ph.D., Professor of Policy & Governance, University of Washington
WHAT: Testify before the Senate Budget Committee
WHEN: 10:15 a.m. Thursday, February 25
WHERE: Room 608, Dirksen Senate Office Building
WASHINGTON – Top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), has invited several witnesses to discuss the negative impacts for workers, jobs, and small businesses caused by Democrats’ push to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, especially when Americans are facing hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Graham has invited Greenville, South Carolina restaurant owner Carl Sobocinski to share his experience with working in and owning several restaurants. Mr. Sobocinski’s testimony is expected to focus on why a one-size-fits-all solution to the federal minimum wage would hurt – and not help – workers and local businesses.
Graham has also invited Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President, American Action Forum and Jacob L. Vigdor, Professor of Policy & Governance at the University of Washington, to testify.
Dr. Holtz-Eakin was Director of the Congressional Budget Office under President George W. Bush. He is expected to share with the committee his findings on the interaction between the social safety net and the labor market, specifically focusing on the impacts of raising the federal minimum wage.
Mr. Vigdor conducted a five-year study at the University of Washington that examined the economic impacts on a Seattle ordinance that raised the city’s minimum wage to $15 per hour and then adjusted for inflation once it hit the $15 mark. Mr. Vigdor is expected to testify on his findings and experiences, which included multiple surveys of local business owners, managers and parents with low-wage jobs raising children – all while tracking consumer prices throughout Seattle.