$1,400 stimulus checks are coming, but the $15 minimum wage is dead
- The Senate parliamentarian ruled on Thursday that President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package would not be allowed to include a minimum wage hike.
- The bill had a provision that would have gradually raised the federal minimum wage to $15 between now and 2025, but Democrats will have to find another way forward.
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will introduce an amendment that will penalize large companies for not paying workers $15 an hour and provide incentives to small businesses to raise their pay.
Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package should receive a vote in the House of Representatives on Friday, bringing millions of Americans one step closer to receiving the $1,400 stimulus checks that they were promised over a month ago. The bill also enhances federal unemployment insurance by $400 per week, provides additional funding for vaccine development and distribution, and offers aid to state and local governments. Nearly everything that President Biden asked for is in the bill, save for one vital provision that will have to be removed.
On Thursday evening, Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that an increase to the federal minimum wage could not be included in the reconciliation bill. By using the budget reconciliation process, the Democrats will be able to pass Biden's relief package through both chambers of Congress with a simple majority, but in turn, everything in the bill has to directly impact the budget. The Senate parliamentarian decides whether or not that it is the case for each provision in the bill, and MacDonough doesn't believe a minimum wage hike qualifies.
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$1,400 stimulus checks are coming, but the $15 minimum wage is dead originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 26 Feb 2021 at 11:01:18 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.