“Raising the federal minimum wage would save the government billions and have sweeping benefits for low-income families, according to a new analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank focused on labor issues.

EPI’s report found that if the minimum wage were boosted from its current level of $7.25 per hour to $10.10, as proposed by the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2014, more than 1.7 million Americans would no longer have to rely on public assistance programs. This would produce $7.6 billion per year or more in savings for the federal government, according to the study.

Millions of Americans, known as the “working poor,” are unable to lift themselves above the poverty line despite working full-time, minimum-wage jobs. Increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 would mean that many of these people wouldn’t have to rely on additional public subsidies to make ends meet.”* The Young Turks hosts Ana Kasparian and John Iadarola (TYT University) break it down.

*Read more here from Kevin Short / The Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/16/minimum-wage-public-assis_n_5992458.html