Washington, D.C. – Last week, the non-partisan Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, ruled that the $15 per hour minimum wage increase was “out of order” under Senate reconciliation rules. This ruling meant that the Democrats’ minimum wage hike could not be included in the $1.9 trillion so-called “COVID relief” bill.
Unhappy with the decision, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and fellow “Squad” member Ilhan Omar have decided to turn their ire on MacDonough and demand that Vice President Kamala Harris reverse her non-partisan, legal-based decision.
Meanwhile, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has demurred, stating only that he was disappointed with the ruling. It’s clear that the base of the Democratic Party wants the $15 minimum wage in the “COVID relief” bill and will stop at nothing to get it. Will Schumer listen to the pleas from AOC and others? His job may hang in the balance.
Statement from NRSC Spokesman T.W. Arrighi: “Chuck Schumer is once again caught between a rock and a hard place. AOC and her legion of followers want him to upend Senate rules to jam a minimum wage hike through Congress, and Schumer’s pumping the breaks. Here’s the hard truth: The bill is DOA in the Senate if the minimum wage provision is included, but his chances of avoiding a primary challenge are equally bleak if he does nothing.”
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