Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) Told Politico in an interview that she does not support raising the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour as part of the $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that Congress is considering.
Why it matters: Opposition to Sinema’s $ 15 minimum wage clause and Senator Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) – another moderate Democrat who has great influence in a 50-50 Senate – is a major blow to President Biden’s hope of approve it via budgetary reconciliation, which would allow the Senate to bypass the usual limit of 60 votes.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Said the $ 15 minimum wage clause will be in the House bill she plans to send to the Senate in the next two weeks.
- But Biden himself acknowledged this week that the main campaign promise is unlikely to be part of the final bailout package approved by Congress. He said he would push for it in an independent bill.
What they are saying: “What is important is whether or not it is directly related to short-term COVID relief. And if not, I will not support you in this legislation ”, Sinema told Politico. “The provision of the minimum wage is not adequate for the conciliation process. It is not a budget item. And it shouldn’t be there. “
The big picture: Sinema, like Manchin, is opposed to removing the 60-vote legislative obstruction to approve top progressive priorities. “I want to restore the 60-vote limit to all elements of the Senate’s work,” the 44-year-old senator from Arizona told Politico.
Go deeper: CBO says $ 15 minimum wage would increase unemployment, but lift 900,000 out of poverty