The first minimum wage was established by Congress in 1938 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act. It was set at twenty-five cents. The minimum wage has fluctuated continuously since then and currently stands at $7.25, but Congress is now considering the Fair Minimum Wage Act (Whittner) which, over the course of two years, would raise the minimum wage to $10.10. dollars (Sherk). Adding nearly three dollars to the U.S. minimum wage will certainly have a broad and positive impact on the nation. Congress should raise the minimum wage because it would boost the economy, create jobs, and it wouldn't be fair to let people who work full time live in poverty. Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would stimulate the economy because if people are making more money, they will spend more money (Shemkus). In a study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, minimum wage workers who received a wage that included an extra dollar an hour created an average of $2,800 in new consumer spending the following year (Berman and Scheller). That's a significant amount of money from such a small change, and if enough people received a single dollar pay raise, it would mean millions of dollars in new consumer spending, so raise your pay by $2 .85 would mean even more money for the economy. Jobs and the economy are directly related, so if the economy is constantly growing, so will the amount of jobs. Raising the minimum wage would have a major impact on job availability. In fact, a graph published by the Review of Economics and Statistics reported on the Huffington Post explains that between the years 1991 and 2006, the rate of employment growth mimicked the increase and decrease in the minimum wage. Another study conducted by National Emplo...... middle of paper...... works and it is Congress's moral obligation to raise it to help the millions of people who, despite their hard work, are still in poverty. Works Cited http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/obama-minimum-wage_n_4235965.html http://www.salary.com/increasing-the-minimum-wage-pros-cons/http:/ /nelpaction .wordpress.com/2013/07/24/new-poll-overwhelming-majority-of-americans-view-minimum-wage-increase-as-important-priority-for-congress-over-next-year/http :/ /www.epi.org/publication/bp357-federal-minimum-wage-increase/http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2013/08/12/130812ta_talk_surowieckihttp://www.huffingtonpost.com /lawrence -wittner/the-minimum-wage-should-b_b_4251211.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/14/minimum-wage-raise-proof_n_4597721.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014 /01 /14/economisti-salario-minimo_n_4594922.html?utm_hp_ref=impresa