The senator will insist to include the increase in the next stimulus package, despite the refusal of the Senate parliamentarian
Photo: Stefani Reynolds / Getty Images
The senator Bernie Sanders (independent for Vermont) announced Monday that he plans to present this week an amendment to the economic recovery bill to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 dollars per hour , a proposal that included President Joe Biden in his stimulus package .
The senator’s commitment, who has fervently advocated for the increase, arrives four days that the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the provision for increase the minimum wage cannot be included in the COVID aid package – 19 , which is intended to be approved with the budget reconciliation .
With this legislative process, a simple majority of 51 votes , instead of the 60 votes usually required to pass far-reaching legislation. These numbers would allow Democrats to push through the stimulus package without the backing of Republicans as Vice President Kamala Harris would break the tie at 50 in the Upper House. However, some conservative Democrats are also not in favor of raising the minimum wage.
Progressive lawmakers have asked to overrule the legislature that refused to include the minimum wage increase in the bill. but Senator Dick Durbin (the No. 2 Democrats in the Senate) said that plan would not work and that progressives have to “think very seriously about dealing with the minimum wage differently,” according to The Hills .
Sanders said in a Twitter thread that believes that the Senate should ignore the advice of the parliamentarian, which he believes “wrong in several respects” , but acknowledged that he was not sure that his opinion was a majority in the Democratic caucus.
“Obviously, as soon as we can, we must end the filibuster that currently exists in the United States Senate, ”he added. The filibuster is the parliamentary tool that prevents most large measures from being approved by a simple majority.
This week, as part of the reconciliation bill, I will be offering an amendment to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour.
– Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) March 2, 2021