Sen. Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) said he opposes a minimum wage of $ 15. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) Said he would like to see changes made and that several other Democrats are not committed to them. But Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Said in an interview Wednesday that he is confident he will have the votes to continue raising the minimum wage through reconciliation, a procedure that only a required ordinary majority to succeed: ‘I believe we do. ”
“There is an awareness among every member of the Democratic caucus that $ 7.25 is a starvation wage,” said Sanders, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. “The American people support raising the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour and I am confident that members of the Democratic caucus will do the right thing.”
The issue could be raised in the Senate’s vote as soon as Thursday – the marathon process of voting on amendments to the budget bill. – according to two sources familiar with the matter. While this would be a non-binding call, likely forced by Republicans, it would be the first time Democrats have gone on record of the $ 15-hour wage demand.
The last time Congress passed legislation to repeal the minimum wage was in 2007, up to $ 7.25 per hour. It could be possible this time around that the Democrats might have to deal with less than Biden’s initial proposal to gradually scale up to $ 15 per hour by 2025. 29 state and the District of Columbia has minimum wages higher than the federal minimum wage of $ 7.25.
One important moderate, Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Did not comment on the effort to increase the minimum wage in reconciliation. Her new colleague, Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Said he supports raising the minimum wage from the current level, but does not endorse Biden’s current proposal.
‘The details are important in how you do it, and what the timeline is. In different communities, the economies are different, ”Kelly said in an interview. “I’ll have to look at the details of the minimum wage coming on the floor.”
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) Said leadership did not yet have to sweep the $ 15 minimum wage provision. “I’m sure we’ll have to talk about it before we mention it,” he said. “And find out where everyone stands.”
The Senate MP, who will reflect on whether the bill has long followed valid budget rules, is another possible obstacle. Sanders and other proponents of the $ 15 minimum wage argue that the increase will reduce the amount of federal aid received by low-income individuals and increase their taxable income – which meets the criteria of the parliamentarian that any conciliation measure a impact on the federal budget.
Advocates for the $ 15 minimum wage plan to quote reports from the left-wing Economic Policy Institute and the University of California, Berkeley, which found that raising the minimum wage to $ 15 by 2025 will reduce government spending on public utilities would reduce and increase tax revenue. The Congressional Budget Office is also expected to release a report at Sanders’ request soon, which will cover the case at $ 15 an hour.
A senior Democratic assistant said talks with the parliamentarian could only take place after the budget resolution is passed, which is likely to take place on Friday morning. The Senate can then file the case.
The $ 15 minimum wage is not an appetizer for Senate Republicans, who claim it will hurt small businesses and lead to job losses. In addition, Republicans say states are better placed to determine wage increases. This led Democrats to incorporate the provision into the coronavirus package, which can pass GOP votes without reconciliation. While Democrats could put a separate bill on the floor, Senate Republicans would do it filibuster dit.
Republicans said Wednesday that they are skeptical that the Senate MP will lighten the Democrats’ plan.
“The budget is not an instrument for enacting substantive legislation, and I think it’s going to be a rude shock to them,” said Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas).
The House passed a bill in 2019 that raised the minimum wage to $ 15 per hour; A Senate bill raising wages to $ 10.10 got Manchin’s vote in 2014, the last time the chamber was controlled by Democrats.
Manchin told MSNBC he supports raising the wage to $ 11 and indexing it, but that it does not make sense in budget reconciliation.
“This is not the place to do it,” he said. “In my opinion, the minimum wage increase will not fit in at all.”
When asked about Manchin’s comments, sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said, “We’ll see.”
“I think the Democrats are united,” Brown said, a progressive who visited the White House with Biden on Thursday. “No, we will not be divided. Yes, we will do it. ‘
Some senior House Democrats predicted that the minimum wage provision could be stripped after it was passed by the House. On Wednesday, the majority leader, Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Conceded that some things may not be “eligible for the reconciliation process.”
But Sanders has so far shown no sign of doubt. The Vermont Independent said Wednesday it has “several advocates” working on the case for the Senate lawmaker.
“We think raising the minimum wage will have a broad impact on the federal budget in many, many, many areas,” he said. “So we think we can make a very, very strong case that is in line with the reconciliation process.”
Quint Forgey and Heather Caygle contributed to this report.