Budzinski Leads Charge Against GOP Bill to Undercut Worker Wages Amidst Record High Costs

<p><strong>WASHINGTON, D.C. </strong>— Today, <strong>Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) </strong>introduced a motion to defeat the so-called &#8220;Tipped Employee Protection Act” which would make it easier for employers to undercut worker wages at a time of rising costs. The Republican legislation would change federal wage law to allow companies to treat almost any worker as a “tipped employee,” even if they receive small or occasional tips, and legally pay them as little as $2.13 an hour.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“In a time of rising costs, an uncertain economy, and working families all across my district struggling to make ends meet – this bill to reduce take-home pay for workers is tone deaf at best. At its worst, it&#8217;s a handout to corporations at a time when workers can least afford it,” <strong>Budzinski said on the House Floor.</strong></p>

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img alt="" class="wp-image-2552" height="495" src="https://d12t4t5x3vyizu.cloudfront.net/budzinski.house.gov/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-13-at-3.45.35-PM.png" width="878" /></figure>

<p>You can watch Budzinski’s remarks during debate over the bill on the House floor <a href="https://youtu.be/hx4DG8H1QyI">HERE</a>, and find her remarks as prepared for delivery below:&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>Mister Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this legislation.&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><em>This bill – deceptively named the “Tipped Employee Protection Act” – would change federal wage law to allow employers to treat almost any worker as a “tipped employee” … even if they receive small or occasional tips. This means lower wages for everyday Americans who are struggling daily with high costs.&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><em>Think of a restaurant worker who both waits tables and covers some back-of-house shifts. This legislation would allow her employer to average her tipped wage from waiting tables with the standard minimum wage she earned during her back-of-house hours.&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><em>By doing this, the employer could justify paying her a subminimum wage for ALL hours worked.</em></p>

<p><em>If this bill were to become law, the employer could classify her as a “tipped employee” … and could legally pay her as little as $2.13 an hour.&nbsp;&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><em>In a time of rising costs, an uncertain economy, and working families all across my district struggling to make ends meet – this bill to reduce take-home pay for workers is tone deaf at best. At its worst, it&#8217;s a handout to corporations at a time when workers can least afford it.&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><em>For this reason, at the appropriate time I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill.&nbsp;&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><em>My amendment would attach the Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act to this bill, which would establish new and increased penalties for violations of overtime and minimum wage requirements. A real, common sense solution for working people.&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><em>I ask unanimous consent to insert into the record the text of this amendment.</em></p>

<p><em>I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit. I yield back.</em></p>

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<p>The post <a href="https://budzinski.house.gov/posts/budzinski-leads-charge-against-gop-bill-to-undercut-worker-wages-amidst-record-high-costs">Budzinski Leads Charge Against GOP Bill to Undercut Worker Wages Amidst Record High Costs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://budzinski.house.gov">Nikki Budzinski</a>.</p>