It was a blow to Democrats when the Senate parliamentarian ruled that a $15 per hour minimum wage hike can’t be included in the COVID relief package. Bloomberg writes:
Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough found that the wage provision did not qualify for action under budget reconciliation, a fast-track procedure that would let Democrats pass the stimulus with only 50 votes in the evenly divided Senate.
The action has left Democrats, such as Senator Bernie Sanders, who championed the hike disappointed.
I strongly disagree with tonight’s decision by the Senate Parliamentarian. But the fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour continues. pic.twitter.com/pGwrYKjOel
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 26, 2021
The increase has overwhelming support from the public, so Democrats aren’t ready to throw in the towel.
What are we supposed to tell voters in 2 years before the midterms? Sorry, we couldn’t pass the $15 minimum wage that we promised you because the Senate parliamentarian advised against it?
Two-thirds of voters want this done. Time to deliver.
— Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) February 26, 2021
Since ruling from the parliamentarian only impacts the Senate, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says they will keep the measure in the House version of the bill:
The Senate parliamentarian’s ruling is disappointing; raising the minimum wage would give 27M+ Americans a raise during this devastating economic crisis. House Dems are determined to #FightFor15. This policy will remain in H.R. 1319 and pass tomorrow.
Now Senate Democrats are now weighing their options to keep a potential hike alive when the bill gets to them. Senator Elizabeth Warren writes that “Democrats should not be held hostage by Mitch McConnell to help struggling families. It is time to get rid of the filibuster to raise the minimum wage to $15 and pass the other bold policies that Americans voted for us to deliver.”
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has more on the limited options Democrats have left above.