Democrats cannot include a $15 minimum wage mandate in their COVID-19 spending package, the Senate parliamentarian ruled Thursday.
Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough rejected arguments by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders that a minimum wage increase conformed to special rules allowing the Senate to pass the COVID-19 spending package with only 51 votes, a source familiar told the Washington Examiner.
Democrats can try to vote to overrule MacDonough with a majority vote, but some lawmakers in their own party would likely object.
The House on Friday is slated to pass the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package, and it includes a provision to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. --->READ MORE HERE
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| AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite |
The Senate parliamentarian concluded Thursday that a federal minimum wage hike to $15 per hour would run afoul of chamber rules if Democrats include it in their $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.
The ruling is a major blow to liberal Democrats, who have insisted that the $15-per-hour level be included in the legislation.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said Democrats were “very disappointed” in the decision.
“We are not going to give up the fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 to help millions of struggling American workers and their families,” Mr. Schumer said. “The American people deserve it, and we are committed to making it a reality.”
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernard Sanders of Vermont and other Democrats have said they think the wage hike is allowed under the fast-track budget process, known as reconciliation, that they’re using to thwart a possible GOP filibuster.
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth McDonough apparently disagreed. --->READ MORE HERE
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