Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) Told Politico in an interview that she does not support raising the federal minimum wage to $ 15 per hour as part of the $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package that Congress is considering.
Why it’s important: Opposition to the $ 15 minimum wage for Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin (DW.Va.), another moderate Democrat who has great influence in a 50-50 Senate, is a major blow to the President Biden’s hope of approving it through budget conciliation which would allow the Senate to evade the usual 60-vote threshold.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) said the $ 15 minimum wage provision will be included in the House bill she plans to send to the Senate in the next two weeks.
- But Biden himself acknowledged this week that the key promise of the campaign is unlikely to reach the final bailout package approved by Congress. He said he would push it into an independent bill.
What they say: “The important thing is whether or not it is directly related to the short-term relief of COVID. And if not, I will not support it in this legislation, “Sinema told Politico.” The provision of the minimum wage is not appropriate for the conciliation process. It is not a budget item. And it should not be in there. “
The big picture: Sinema, like Manchin, opposes eliminating the 60-vote legislative filibuster to pass high progressive priorities. “I want to reset the 60-vote threshold for all elements of Senate work,” the 44-year-old Arizona senator told Politico.
In depth: CBO says the $ 15 minimum wage would increase unemployment but lift 900,000 out of poverty