Congressional Democrats are digging in for a battle to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour as part of a $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus bill they want to pass in weeks.
The fight could escalate once Wednesday, as early as the Senate MP is expected to decide whether the bill can be included in emergency legislation under special fiscal rules planned for the package.
If allowed, it would be a big win for the Democrats, but one that would only spark a bigger fight within the party over how much the minimum wage should be raised and how it should be structured. With narrow margins in both chambers, Democrats cannot afford to alienate progressives or moderates.
“Even if it can be incorporated, the question is whether the Democrats support uniformly?” said Sen. Tim Kaine
Timothy (Tim) Michael Kaine Democrats Plan Crash Against Rising Drug Cost Overnight Health Care: Biden Officials Announce Funding to Detect Virus Variants | Senate Dems announces public option proposal | White House: Teachers Vaccinations Not Required For School Reopening Group of 25 Prominent Nonprofits Urge Congress to Pull MORE War Force (D-Va.), Adding that while he was supportive, “there are some other Democrats who have voiced some concerns.”
Neither side is showing sides of caving by setting up a high-quality chicken game that could endanger more aid for schools, states, small businesses and American families.
The House is expected to vote on its $ 1.9 trillion package on Friday, modeled on the example President Biden
Joe BidenTikTok users spread conspiracy that Texas snow was government-manufactured The problem with a one-size-fits-all federal minimum wage hike Throwing money into Central America won’t curb illegal migration MORE‘s proposal. It includes a minimum wage of $ 15 an hour, which would be phased in by 2025.
It’s a level that has powerful supporters, including Biden himself, House progressives and the chair of the Senate Budget Committee Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders On The Money: Neera Tanden’s nomination in jeopardy after three GOP noes | Trump Rages After SCOTUS Rules On Financial Data Tanden’s Path To Confirmation Looks Growing Untenable Asian Pacific American Caucus Urges Senators To Confirm Tanden MORE (I-Vt.), Who said he wants to ensure that next week’s pay rise is passed in its current form by the Senate.
“Fifteen dollars an hour is not a radical idea, a number of states have moved in that direction, more than 60 percent of the American population thinks we should go there and that’s what I want to do,” Sanders said when asked to to talk about. a smaller increase.
Supporters of the $ 15 minimum wage point to widespread support among congressional Democrats, arguing that leaders should bow down all Democratic senators who are unwilling to agree to the will of the party.
If all Republicans in the 50-50 Senate vote against the pay rise, Democrats cannot afford apostasy.
Supporters also point to Florida, which was a stronghold for the former President Trump
Donald Trump Fauci: US Political Divide Over Masks Leads to Half a Million COVID-19 Deaths Bishop of Georgia says GOP state election law is an ‘attempt to suppress black vote’ court on tax returns MOREVoters in the state passed a ballot measure last year to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour.
“The party is ALREADY behind raising the minimum wage to $ 15. Just like the American people! Even Republicans agree – just look at Florida passing $ 15 by a large majority while voting for Trump. And aside from the robust support, it’s just good policy, ”Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Pramila Jayapal Democrats face unity test on Biden’s .9T bill Progressive caucus chair: I think minimum wage will be included in COVID-19 aid package on Sunday shows – COVID-19 dominates as grim milestone nears MORE (D-Wash.), The president of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, tweeted Tuesday.
Similar to a budget resolution tabled by the COVID-19 bill, the senate will have to hold a vote-a-rama before passing the COVID-19 bill.
That allows any senator to offer possible changes to the bill, with many requiring just a simple majority to be successful, something that gives extra power to moderates like Sen. Joe Manchin
Joseph (Joe) ManchinOvernight Health Care: US Surpasses Half Million COVID Deaths | House panel advance Biden’s .9T COVID-19 support bill | Johnson & Johnson set to deliver doses to 20 million Americans by the end of March. On The Money: Neera Tanden’s nomination at risk after three GOP-no | Trump Rages After SCOTUS Financial Data Rules Tanden’s path to confirmation seems increasingly untenable (DW.Va.), who is against Sanders’ pay rise.
Manchin said that if the minimum wage hike is allowed on the bill, he wants to change the increase from $ 15 an hour to $ 11 an hour.
“If it’s relevant, at a threshold of 51 votes, $ 11 basically works. … We could make $ 11 in two years and at $ 15 in a better position than they will be in five years, ”said Manchin.
Manchin seemed skeptical that there wouldn’t be enough support for the $ 11 minimum wage, but declined to say how he would vote on the overall package if it were rejected.
Manchin isn’t the only Democratic senator concerned about raising the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour, but he has been the most outspoken. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) Has also come up against the idea, and even beyond the amount of the raise, Democrats are discussing privately how to deal with tipping wages or potential small business tax credits.
A standalone bill from Sanders has the backing of an additional 37 Democratic senators – 12 votes less than the simple majority required to pass the coronavirus law.
The looming standoff comes as senators are still waiting to hear from Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate MP, whether a minimum wage increase complies with the Byrd rule, a secretive process that determines what can and cannot be passed through reconciliation. Democrats are using the budget process to pass on coronavirus aid so they can bypass the legislative filibuster of 60 votes.
Sanders and his staff talked to MacDonough about why they think it is adequate and should be listed.
But others, including Biden, chairman of the House Budget Committee John Yarmuth
John Allen Yarmuth On The Money: Neera Tanden’s nomination at risk after three GOP noes | Trump Rages After SCOTUS Rules Over Financial Data House Panel Backs Biden’s .9T COVID-19 Support Bill This Week: House Votes Biden’s .9 Trillion Coronavirus Bill MORE (D-Ky.) And Democratic senators have proven skeptical.
“I put it in there, but I don’t think it will survive,” Biden told CBS News earlier this month, citing the Senate’s rules on reconciliation.
That has led some Democratic senators to sidestep the fight over raising the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour until it becomes a current issue – once the MP agrees or disagrees to include it.
Leader of the majority of the Senate Charles Schumer
Chuck SchumerLawmakers Proposes Bill to Establish Capitol Riot Commission The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented By The AIDS Institute – COVID-19 Rescue Bill A Unity Test For Dems OVERNIGHT ENERGY: US Formally Raises Paris Climate Agreement | Biden Energy Dept Orders Major Overhaul of Trump’s Energy Rules | Texas’s power grid was “seconds and minutes” away from total outage, officials say MORE (DN.Y.) declined to say whether he would support a minimum wage hike of less than $ 15 an hour.
‘Look, the first step is to go for reconciliation, for the MP. … We are waiting for our verdict before proceeding, ”Schumer told reporters.
Her. Jon Tester
Jonathan (Jon) Tester Democratic Senate Campaign Arm Taps New Staff Leaders Tester to Chair Defense Credit Panel Attorney Trump Accuses Democrats of Violent Rhetoric MORE (D-Mont.), Who is not a co-sponsor of Sanders’ account, questioned the value of weighing up until it at least overcomes that procedural hurdle.
“I don’t know if it will be in there, but once it is in there, we’ll talk about it,” he said. “But until it gets in there, I don’t think there’s any reason to waste energy on it.”
Alexander Bolton contributed.