It will not be a surprise when the issue of raising the federal minimum wage again surfaces in Congress. A proposal by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to raise the current federal wage of $7.25 an hour to $15 per hour may have been stricken from the COVID stimulus bill by the Senate Parliamentarian, but the issue is by no means dead for this session of Congress. In fact, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the labor group most instrumental in the “Fight for $15” ran a full-page ad in the New York Time last week demanding a federal $15 minimum wage. The White House and democratic Congressional leaders each confirmed that a standalone minimum wage bill will be introduced soon in congress. Along with the ad, political positioning is already well underway as former Chicago mayor – and former Obama Chief of Staff – Rahm Emanuel had an Op-Ed in the Washington Post last week suggesting a federal minimum of $15 per hour with state legislators having the ability to decrease that wage to $12/hour. State lawmakers who may oppose raising the wage would be loath to reduce an existing worker’s wage.