Senator Bernie Sanders fought an uphill battle today to get a minimum wage increase, but his effort didn’t pay off (watch above). Today he introduced an amendment to the COVID-19 relief bill that would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour over five years. This came after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the hike could not be included in the COVID relief package. Today, the Vermont Senator criticized the decision:

“Because of an unfortunate and, in my view, misguided decision by the parliamentarian, this reconciliation bill does not include an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour. In my view, it should have, and I think the parliamentarian is dead wrong.”

Yahoo adds. “Sanders went on to argue that it’s ‘absurd’ that this ‘unelected staffer’ would be able to make this decision about raising the minimum wage, arguing “no parliamentarian should have that power” and that senators shouldn’t “shuffle off” the reasonability of voting for or against the increase.”

While Sanders knew there was practically no chance the amendment would pass, he wanted to force a vote so that his colleagues would have to go on record with how they stood on the matter. In the end, all Republicans and several Democrats voted it down.

After the vote, Sanders released a statement saying, “If any Senator believes this is the last time they will cast a vote on whether or not to give a raise to 32 million Americans, they are sorely mistaken. We’re going to keep bringing it up, and we’re going to get it done because it is what the American people demand and need.”