Mar 1, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Sanders pushes to have $15 minimum wage included in COVID relief bill

Rebecca Falconer

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill examining wages at large profitable corporations February 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. — Sen. Bernie Sanders during a February hearing on Capitol Hill. Photo: Susan Walsh-Pool/Getty Images

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced Monday he plans to offer an amendment to the COVID relief bill this week that aims to see the minimum wage raised to $15 an hour.

Why it matters: Sanders' pledge comes four days after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the provision to increase the minimum wage to $15/hour can't be included under a reconciliation vote in the broader $1.9 trillion COVID relief package. Reconciliation requires only a simple 51-vote majority, rather than the usual 60 votes to pass major legislation.

Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, said Monday progressives' calls to overrule the parliamentarian wouldn't work and they needed to "think very seriously about dealing with the minimum wage in a different venue," per the Hill.

What he's saying: Sanders said in a Twitter post he thinks the Senate should ignore the parliamentarian’s advice, which he said was "wrong in a number of respects," but conceded that he wasn't sure that his view "is the majority view in the Democratic Caucus."

"Obviously, as soon as we can, we must end the filibuster that currently exists in the U.S. Senate," he added.
"Given the enormous crises facing working families today, we cannot allow a minority of the Senate to obstruct what the vast majority of the American people want and need."

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Sanders pushes to have $15 minimum wage included in COVID relief bill

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