No. 22-1023 I N T HE U NITED S

EPI has studied and produced extensive research examining how the minimum wage affects workers and the economy, who benefits from the minimum wage, and how the declining value of the federal minimum wage over time has contributed to the growth in U. [...] 2022) (noting that use of the Procurement Act authority to require federal contractors “to abide by wage and price controls” “has a ‘close nexus’ to the ordinary hiring, firing, and management of labor.”) 11 Appellate Case: 22-1023 Document: 010110676689 Date Filed: 04/27/2022 Page: 19 The Department determined that in the event that “Government expenditures may rise,” the benefits “expected to ac. [...] The record before the Department amply supports its conclusion that an increased minimum wage supports “ efficiency and economy … in government procurement.”29 Studies and literature cited in the Rule show the link between increased wages and efficiencies, including morale and productivity increases and decreases in employee turnover and 26 Id. [...] Relying on public comments, studies, and statistics, the Department recognized that increasing the minimum wage will aid in reducing income inequality and racial and gender wage gaps, given the disproportionate number of people of color and women who are paid low wages and are represented in federal contractor workforces.59 Data from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplem. [...] 21 Appellate Case: 22-1023 Document: 010110676689 Date Filed: 04/27/2022 Page: 29 “represented 13.2% of the total population in the United States,” it accounted for “23.8% of the poverty population.”60 Similarly, for the Latinx population, while it comprises “18.7% of the total population,” it accounted for “28.1% of the population in poverty.”61 The Department also cited to analysis and data prov.