Senator Bernie Sanders applauded U.S. Senate-passage of an increase in the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over the next two years. This is the first increase in the federal minimum in almost a decade. The U.S. House has already passed its version of the minimum wage increase and a House/Senate Conference Committee will have to work out differences between the two bills before the wage hike becomes effective. The legislation passed the Senate with a vote of 94 to 3. Senator Sanders said, “Today the United States Senate sent a message that it is beginning to address the real problems that working Americans are facing. After almost a decade of inaction, I applaud the passage of this much-needed increase in the federal minimum wage. Of course, so much more work lies ahead of us if we are to address the plight of the struggling American middle class.”