Rep. Adams Introduces Bill to Set Standard Wages For Federal Contractors
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), introduced the Living Wage for Federal Contractors Act, legislation establishing a permanent, predictable minimum wage for workers employed through federal contracts.
The bill sets the federal contractor minimum wage for employees at $17.00 per hour upon becoming law, rising by $2.00 every year until it reaches $25.00 per hour, at which point it will be adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Tipped contract workers would see their minimum wage rise from $13.00 per hour to $25.00, at a similar rate.
“Contractors who work for the government deserve the same certainty as any federal employee,” said Congresswoman Adams.“This bill will end the inconsistent wage policy set by the executive branch and put a living wage into law. Without firm policy set by Congress, federal contract workers become an easy target for wage theft, with no regard to the people we are taking advantage of.”
A one pager explaining the bill can be found here.
Millions of Americans work on federal contracts, and hundreds of thousands have seen their wages change inconsistently over the last 10 years. Since 2014, the minimum wage for federal contractors has been raised and lowered by a cycle of executive orders, leaving working people and businesses without a consistent standard from the United States government.
Since 2014, administrations of both parties have used Executive Orders to raise or lower the minimum wage for federal contract workers. Most recently, in 2025, the current administration reduced the federal contract worker minimum wage from $17.75 to $13.65 per hour.
But Executive Orders are not law. They can be changed or reversed whenever a new administration takes office. Federal contract workers should not have their livelihoods subject to political swings from one administration to the next. They deserve the certainty, stability, and economic security that come with a predictable wage protected by law.
The Living Wage for Federal Contractors Act will solidify wage protections, extend coverage to independent regulatory agencies and the U.S. Postal Service, and create wage floors for construction, service, and procurement contract workers.
The bill will also strengthen enforcement by providing liquidated damages, civil penalties, a private right of action for workers, and authority for the Department of Labor to withhold payments from contractors found in violation.
You can read the full text of the bill here.
Reps. Emanuel Cleaver (MI-05), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Dina Titus (NV-01), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) have joined the bill as original cosponsors.