NATIONAL NEWS

Minimum Wage Hike All But Dead In Senate Virus Relief Bill

Mar 1, 2021, 3:37 PM | Updated: 4:03 pm

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer ...

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) listen during a news conference ahead of the House vote on the Equality Act on Capitol Hill on February 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)

(Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats’ efforts to include a minimum wage increase in their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill seemed all but dead Monday as Senate leaders prepared to begin debate on their own version of the House-passed aid package.

Top Democrats abandoned a potential amendment threatening tax increases on big companies that don’t boost workers’ pay to certain levels, Senate aides said. Four days after the chamber’s parliamentarian said Senate rules forbid inclusion of a straight-out minimum wage increase in the relief measure, Democrats seemed to have exhausted their most realistic options for quickly salvaging the pay hike.

“At this moment, we may not have path, but I hope we can find one” for pushing the federal pay floor to $15 an hour, said No. 2 Senate Democratic leader Richard Durbin of Illinois.

Senate Democrats hope to unveil their version of the broad relief package and begin debate as early as Wednesday. Congressional leaders want to send President Joe Biden the legislation combating the pandemic and bolstering the economy by March 14, the date emergency jobless benefits that lawmakers approved in December expire.

The bill is Biden’s biggest early legislative priority. It looms as an initial test of his ability to unite Democrats in the Senate — where the party has no votes to spare — and risks lasting damage to his influence should he fail. Republicans are strongly against the legislation and could well oppose it unanimously, as House GOP lawmakers did when that chamber approved the bill early Saturday.

Biden discussed the relief bill Monday in a virtual meeting with nine Senate Democrats, including Joe Manchin of West Virginia, an opponent of the $15 hourly target. A White House statement said the group was “united in the goal of quickly passing a significant package that reflects the scope of the challenges our country is facing.”

The Senate is divided 50-50 between the parties, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to cast only tie-breaking votes. Under streamlined rules the Democrats are using, they can approve the legislation with just 51 votes.

The overall bill would provide $1,400 payments to individuals plus hundreds of billions of dollars for schools and colleges, COVID-19 vaccines and testing, mass transit systems, renters and small businesses. It also has money for child care, tax breaks for families with children and states willing to expand Medicaid coverage for low-income residents.

Democrats are considering several changes in the House measure, but they seem modest compared to dropping the minimum wage increase. One top aide said the bill the Senate initially debates won’t have the minimum wage provision in it, saying the language would have pushed the bill over budget-mandated spending limits, violating Senate rules.

Senate Democrats may reshape the $350 billion the bill provides for state and local governments. They also might extend its fresh round of emergency unemployment benefits, which would be $400 weekly, through September instead of August, as the House approved.

The parliamentarian’s interpretation of Senate rules could force other changes as well. These might include dropping or altering provisions in the House bill providing billions of dollars to help some struggling pension plans and to help people who’ve lost jobs afford health insurance.

The House-approved minimum wage language would gradually raise the federal floor to $15 an hour by 2025, more than double the $7.25 in place since 2009.

After the parliamentarian said that provision would have to be deleted, Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said they were working on plans to increase taxes on large corporations that don’t meet certain levels for workers’ pay. Sanders is chief Senate sponsor of the $15 plan, while Wyden is chair of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee.

But three Senate aides, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions, said Monday that party leaders were dropping those proposals.

It was always questionable whether pressuring companies with tax increases would win enough Democratic support to survive. The White House didn’t endorse the tax proposals, which would have affected only a fraction of workers paid the minimum wage.

Raising the minimum has broad support among Democrats. But while it’s embraced passionately by the party’s progressives, at least two Senate moderates — Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — have voiced opposition to including it in the broader relief measure, wounding its prospects and fostering tensions within the party.

The tepid Democratic reaction to the tax plan has left the party looking at potentially pushing a minimum wage increase in future legislation, where it could well face enough GOP opposition to kill it.

Democrats must now decide “how we do minimum wage as part of another piece of legislation or on its own,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

As an alternative, progressives want Senate Democrats to simply overrule the parliamentarian and include the pay raise anyway, or to eliminate Senate filibusters — procedural delays that let a minority party kill legislation that lacks at least 60 votes.

But those ideas seem to lack enough Democratic support to succeed. Senate moderates are wary of erasing procedures that the party has used in the past, and could use again, to protect its priorities when it is in the minority.

Among those who’ve long supported retaining the filibuster is Biden, who served nearly four decades in the Senate.

“The president’s view on the filibuster is well known. He has not changed that point of view,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said pointedly Monday.

Despite seeming White House opposition, nearly two dozen House progressives tried pressuring Biden to have Harris join Democratic senators and vote to override the parliamentarian and include the increase in the bill anyway.

“Outdated and complex” Senate rules “must not be an impediment to improving people’s lives,” the House members, led by Rep. Ro Khanna of California, wrote in a letter to Biden and Harris. “You have the authority to deliver a raise for millions of Americans.”

—-

AP reporter Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

KSL 5 TV Live

National News

Alison Smart and her daughter Ruby, Alison Smart is going up against a major drug company, trying t...

Daniel Woodruff

Utah mom enlists Mark Cuban in fight for daughter’s access to insulin

A Utah mom is going up against a major drug company, trying to keep a type of insulin on the market that she says is essential for her family.

9 hours ago

FILE - In this Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007 picture, vehicles are scattered along the broken remains of ...

Trisha Ahmed and Valerie Gonzalez, Associated Press

Driving along … and the roadway vanishes beneath you. What’s it like to survive a bridge collapse?

What's it like to survive a bridge collapse? Survivors of past bridge failures in Minnesota and Texas tell The Associated Press that the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore brings back harrowing memories of their own ordeals.

9 hours ago

In an aerial view, cargo ship Dali is seen after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key ...

Elizabeth Wolfe, Melissa Alonso and Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN

2 bodies found in truck under Baltimore bridge collapse as investigators end search for workers, police say

The bodies of two people were recovered from the Patapsco River Wednesday as officials searched the water after a container ship collision caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

10 hours ago

FILE - No Labels leadership and guests from left, Dan Webb, National Co-Chair Dr. Benjamin F. Chavi...

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in the disputed 2000 election and who almost became Republican John McCain's running mate eight years later, has died, according to a statement issued by his family.

11 hours ago

In this photo provided by the Franklinville Volunteer Fire Company, firefighters attempt to get Dai...

Associated Press

Firefighters in New Jersey come to the rescue of a yellow Labrador stuck in a spare tire

Firefighters in southern New Jersey came to the rescue of a dog who got stuck in a spare tire.

14 hours ago

Costco's food court and its famous $1.50 hot dog and soda combo meal....

Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN

Why Costco’s hot dog is still $1.50 when everything has gotten so expensive

Inflation has touched nearly everything these last few years, but Costco is holding the line on its hot dog-soda combo price.

15 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Women hold card for scanning key card to access Photocopier Security system concept...

Les Olson

Why Printer Security Should Be Top of Mind for Your Business

Connected printers have vulnerable endpoints that are an easy target for cyber thieves. Protect your business with these tips.

Modern chandelier hanging from a white slanted ceiling with windows in the backgruond...

Lighting Design

Light Up Your Home With These Top Lighting Trends for 2024

Check out the latest lighting design trends for 2024 and tips on how you can incorporate them into your home.

Technician woman fixing hardware of desktop computer. Close up....

PC Laptops

Tips for Hassle-Free Computer Repairs

Experiencing a glitch in your computer can be frustrating, but with these tips you can have your computer repaired without the stress.

Close up of finger on keyboard button with number 11 logo...

PC Laptops

7 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your Laptop to Windows 11

Explore the benefits of upgrading to Windows 11 for a smoother, more secure, and feature-packed computing experience.

Stylish room interior with beautiful Christmas tree and decorative fireplace...

Lighting Design

Create a Festive Home with Our Easy-to-Follow Holiday Prep Guide

Get ready for festive celebrations! Discover expert tips to prepare your home for the holidays, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for unforgettable moments.

Battery low message on mobile device screen. Internet and technology concept...

PC Laptops

9 Tips to Get More Power Out of Your Laptop Battery

Get more power out of your laptop battery and help it last longer by implementing some of these tips from our guide.

Minimum Wage Hike All But Dead In Senate Virus Relief Bill