THE AMERICAN LIVING WAGE ACT
A fair, automatic living wage in every county in America

The Problem

For decades, America has been stuck in the same fight:
“Should the minimum wage be $15? $20?”

Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage is still $7.25, and millions of people working full-time cannot afford rent, food, and basic necessities. Workers shouldn’t have to beg Congress every few years for a raise that still doesn’t keep up with the cost of living.

I’m done arguing over random dollar amounts. We need a formula, not a guessing game.

The Big Idea

If you work full-time, you should not be poor.

My standard is simple:

Any single person who works 40 hours a week for 48 weeks a year should earn enough that a family of four in their county is not living in poverty.

Instead of a one-size-fits-all number, we create a county-by-county living wage that updates every year based on real local costs.

How It Works

1. County Living Wage Formula

For every county in the U.S., the federal government will calculate:

County Living Wage = (Annual poverty threshold for a family of four in that county) ÷ (40 hours × 48 weeks)

• Uses real data on local costs: housing, food, transportation, healthcare, utilities, basic needs.

• The result is a local minimum wage that actually matches the cost of living where people live and work.

2. Automatic Annual Updates

• The living wage is recalculated every year.

• No more wages frozen for 10+ years while rent doubles.

• New rates are published publicly in advance so workers and businesses can plan.

3. A Federal Floor for Every County

• The old $7.25 federal minimum wage is replaced with living wages that vary by county.

• High-cost counties get higher minimums; lower-cost counties have lower ones—but everywhere, full-time work must lift a family of four out of poverty.

Protecting Small Businesses & Local Jobs

A real living wage must be fair to workers and workable for small businesses.

My plan includes:

• A phase-in period (for example, reaching 100% of the new living wage over 3–5 years).

• Targeted support for small businesses:

  • Tax credits or wage subsidies during the transition,

  • Access to low-interest loans and grants to improve productivity and adapt.

• Faster compliance timelines for big, profitable corporations that can easily afford to pay a living wage now.

We help small, local employers adjust—while making sure giant companies can’t keep paying poverty wages.

Strong Enforcement & Worker Protections

The American Living Wage Act will:

• Apply to ALL hourly and salaried workers, with effective hourly pay required to meet the county living wage.

• No more carveouts for tipped workers

• Strengthen enforcement through the Department of Labor.

• Protect workers who report violations with whistleblower safeguards.

• Impose meaningful penalties on repeat violators.

If an employer can’t build a business model that avoids trapping workers in poverty, the problem is the business model—not the workers.

What This Means for You

Under this plan:

• If you work full-time, your wage will rise to match the real cost of living in your county.

• You won’t have to wait a decade and hope Congress finally passes another minimum wage bill.

• Your wage will automatically adjust as the cost of living changes.

• Families will be less dependent on emergency assistance just to pay basic bills.

• Communities will have more stable, predictable incomes—and a stronger local economy.

My Commitment

I’m angry that in the wealthiest country on Earth, millions of full-time workers still live in poverty. I believe:

• Work should always be a path out of poverty, not a trap inside it.

• We need a living wage tied to reality, not politics.

• We should end the minimum wage wars by passing a formula-based standard that protects every worker, in every county, every year.

If you work full-time in America, you should not be poor. That’s the promise this law will finally keep.