House Approves Minimum Wage Increase Largely overlooked in the month-long test of wills between the White House and Congress over the war supplemental is the fact that, at long last (about a decade), an increase in the federal minimum wage will almost certainly be signed into law in the next 24 hours. It was included as part of the $22.2 billion supplemental package of domestic and security-related items not requested by President Bush. It passed the House moments ago, 348-73 The wage package, which phases in an increase to $7.25 an hour from $5.15 over two years, is accompanied by a $4.8 billion package of business tax cuts that are fully offset. And this just in: By a vote of 280-142, the House has approved the largest emergency supplemental appropriations in American history, providing approximately $100 billion in (mostly) war and (modest) domestic spending. The top four members of the senior House Democratic leadership voted for the bill except Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).