It makes some degree of sense for the federal government to have a minimum wage because they have welfare programs. I don't think it's desirable to allow compa

It makes some degree of sense for the federal government to have a minimum wage because they have welfare programs. I don't think it's desirable to allow companies to pay wages low enough that the employees qualify for federal welfare. > As you said, states are moving past the federal minimum wage already, and it is seemingly successful. Sure, that's basically the current system. The federal government sets an absolute minimum wage, states can set a higher (but now lower) minimum wage, and in some circumstances, cities can set a minimum wage higher than the state. It works well in concept. I don't think we're great at adjusting the federal minimum wage for states that don't set their own, but that's more a reflection of stagnation in the political system as a whole than an indictment of the minimum wage system.