Raise the federal minimum wage to $11 by 2028 and then index it to inflation.

Tom Cotton · Arkansas · Republican

policy impact 0.78 specificity 0.92 extraction confidence 95%

Commitment kind: unknown. Promised action: not established. Promised outcome: not established. Deadline: unknown; not assumed expired.

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Occurrences

the Higher Wages for American Workers Act, a bill that would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $11 by 2028 and mandate E-Verify ... Background: Gradually raises the federal minimum wage to $11 over four years, and then indexes it to inflation every two years moving forward.

Cotton introduced legislation to increase the federal minimum wage to $11 by 2028 and tie future increases to inflation.

Cotton, Romney, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Raise Minimum Wage and Stop Employment of Illegal Immigrants
secondary · other · model gpt-5.4-mini

Evidence

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

Sen. Tom Cotton press release (Sept. 13, 2023) announcing the "Higher Wages for American Workers Act," which would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $11 by 2028 and index future increases to inflation.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Official Senate press release documents that Sen. Tom Cotton (with Sen. Mitt Romney and several GOP cosponsors) introduced legislation proposing a phased increase of the federal minimum wage to $11 by 2028 and automatic indexing thereafter, plus an E-Verify mandate and small-business phase-in protections.

partial later_term A for effort

Cotton, Romney, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Raise Minimum Wage and Stop Employment of Illegal Immigrants
secondary · model gpt-5-mini · confidence 92%

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legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

DOL states the federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees remains $7.25 per hour (effective July 24, 2009).

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): As of the current lookback (accessed May 28, 2026), the Department of Labor's official guidance shows no change to the federal minimum wage; the federal floor remains $7.25/hr, indicating the Cotton-sponsored proposals (introduced earlier) have not been enacted into federal law.

never unknown

Minimum wage — U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
secondary · model gpt-5-mini · confidence 95%

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Assessments

Public state: unverified As of unknown · legacy_unverified · . Original AI recommendation (not independently established): never. unknown A for effort

Sen. Cotton formally sponsored legislation (Sept 13, 2023) proposing a phased raise of the federal minimum wage to $11 by 2028 with indexing, indicating a substantive legislative effort. However, the federal minimum wage remained $7.25 as of May 28, 2026 (DOL), and the proposed bill has not been enacted into law. Because he advanced legislation but did not secure enactment, the promise was not delivered.

provider openai · model gpt-5-mini · confidence 90%