White House Watch

Biden Admin Resurrects Failed Obama Effort To Raise Salary Threshold For Overtime Pay

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced Wednesday a proposal to extend overtime pay protections for salaried workers, reviving an effort by former President Barack Obama that was struck down in court.

The new proposed rule would require employers to pay salaried workers exceeding 40 hours a week overtime pay if they earn less than $1,059 per week or $55,000 per year, according to a press release from the DOL. The move by the DOL mirrors an effort from the Obama administration in 2016 to raise the threshold eligible for overtime pay to workers making $47,000 per year, which was later struck down by a federal judge in Texas saying that the threshold was too high and encompassed some management workers who are exempt from overtime pay protections, according to Reuters.

“We are committed to ensuring that all workers are paid fairly for their hard work,” Jessica Looman, principal deputy wage and hour division administrator, said in the press release. “For too long, many low-paid salaried workers have been denied overtime pay, even though they often work long hours and perform much of the same work as their hourly counterparts. This proposed rule would ensure that more workers receive extra pay when they work long hours.”

The current threshold for salaried workers doing management-related duties to receive overtime pay is $35,500 per year, established by the Trump administration in 2020, according to Reuters. Overtime pay requires employers to pay workers one and a half times their regular rate if they work more than 40 hours in a week.

The new proposal would extend overtime protections for 3.6 million salaried workers and seeks to better identify which employees are classified as executive, administrative or professional and should be overtime pay-exempt, according to the DOL. The proposed rule will be open for public comment for 60 days.

The DOL did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org

Will Kessler

Share
Published by
Will Kessler

Recent Posts

President Donald Trump’s Schedule for Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Schedule Summary: President Donald Trump will receive a briefing, sign some proclamations, and participate in…

9 hours ago

Too Late: WaPo Apologizes For Publishing Hamas Propaganda At Face Value

The Washington Post issued a correction Tuesday, saying it published an article that failed to…

11 hours ago

Elon Musk Finally Shares His True Feelings About Big, Beautiful Bill

Elon Musk sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” incorporating vast swathes of his…

11 hours ago

Trump Says New Iran Deal Will Not Allow Uranium Enrichment, Contradicting Reports

President Donald Trump said Monday night his administration’s new Iran nuclear deal would not include…

11 hours ago

No, SCOTUS, The Federal Reserve Isn’t An ‘Independent Agency’

The Supreme Court was surely correct in its recent majority decision acknowledging President Trump acted…

11 hours ago

President Autopen

The Autopen scandal raises many questions: Who was running the country? Are all the pardons…

12 hours ago