Low-wage workers in the United States are falling further and further behind their higher-earning counterparts. This brief examines a discussion paper for The Hamilton Project, proposing a new federal funding stream to identify, expand, and replicate the most successful state and local worker advancement initiatives. Under the proposed Worker Advancement Grants for Employment in States (WAGES ) program, the federal government would offer up to $5 billion annually in matching funds
for increases in state, local, and private expenditures on worker advancement initiatives.