Biden Orders $15 Minimum Wage on Federal Contracts by March

President Joe Biden will require federal contractors to pay workers at least $15 an hour in an executive order designed to leverage government purchasing power to boost working conditions for lower-earners employed via taxpayer funds.

Updating an Obama-era measure, Biden’s order mandates that all federal agencies incorporate what amounts to a $4.05 minimum wage hike into new contract solicitations by January 2022 and into new contracts by March 2022, the White House announced Tuesday. The minimum hourly rate will then rise annually to keep up with inflation.

“It will improve the economic security of families and make progress toward ...