Eight Democratic senators broke with the majority and voted against the proposal to raise the minimum wage.
Several dissidents cited the need to protect companies in difficulty from rising labor costs.
The increase was eliminated from the current stimulus package following a decision by the Senate parliamentarian.
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Eight Democratic senators broke with the majority and voted on Friday against Senator Bernie Sanders’ $ 15 minimum wage increase.
The vote canceled Sanders’ pressure to add the clause back to the stimulus package that was being negotiated in Congress after Senate MP Elizabeth MacDonough decided it should be overturned.
MacDonough decided that raising the minimum wage violates the “Byrd Rule”, which prohibits “strange” policies as part of a bill or reconciliation resolution.
“It is difficult for me to understand how oil drilling at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was in line with Byrd’s rule, but not raising the minimum wage,” said Sanders.
President Joe Biden also expressed support for the gradual increase in the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour.
The bill was dropped in the Senate after eight Democrats voted against the proposal:
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia
WASHINGTON, DC – February 5: Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks to the press near the Senate subway after a vote in the Senate impeachment trial that absolved President Donald Trump of all charges on February 5, 2020 in Washington, DC. After Trump’s impeachment Chamber last year, the Senate voted today to absolve the president of two impeachment articles when the trial is concluded.
Photo by Sarah Silbiger / Getty Images
Manchin, a moderate Democrat who holds Byrd’s former Senate seat, had previously expressed disapproval of the minimum wage increase, siding with Senate MP MacDonough.
“My only vote is to protect the Byrd Rule: hell or high tide,” the senator told CNN in February. “Everyone knows that. I’m fighting to defend Byrd’s rule. The president knows that.”
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona
Democratic senators-elect Kyrsten Sinema (L) (D-AZ) and Jacky Rosen (R) (D-NV) walk to the office of Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer for a meeting at the US Capitol on November 13. 2018 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee / Getty images
Sinema, another major moderator who previously threw cold water at raising the minimum wage, also voted against the proposal on Friday. To represent her “no” vote, the Arizona senator voted dramatically with a “thumbs down” on the Senate secretary, eliciting reaction from progressive senators.
Despite his negative vote, Sinema said in a statement that he would be open to renegotiating a minimum wage increase “separate” from the aid package.
“Senators from both parties have shown support for raising the federal minimum wage, and the Senate should hold an open debate and amendment process on raising the minimum wage, separate from the reconciliation project focused on COVID,” Sinema said in a statement. communicated.
Sen. Jon Tester of Montana
Senator Jon Tester, D-MT, gives the opening address during a confirmation hearing by Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs appointed to US President Joe Biden, before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in Washington, DC, USA, January 27, 2021.
Leigh Vogel / Pool via REUTERS
The testator voted against the proposal on Friday. Manchin said he and Tester expect spending on the stimulus package as a whole to be more “targeted” and “helping the people who need the most help”.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
Current US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, DN.H., raises her arms after declaring victory at a meeting with supporters on Tuesday, November 3, 2020 in Manchester, NH Shaheen faced Republican businessman Corky Messner. (
AP Photo / Charles Krupa
Shaheen’s office told Boston.com, the Boston Globe’s news site, in a statement that the New Hampshire senator supports raising the minimum wage, but only with “safeguards” to protect small businesses and restaurants that have supported the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic to ensure that they “do not sink”.
“I also think we should work with some of these people who are affected to help find out how we can get them through an increase in the minimum wage,” said Shaheen WMUR9. “We have nursing homes in New Hampshire that are struggling to employ people because of the salary scale.”
Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
Senator Maggie Hassan, DN.H., speaks during the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing on “Threats to the Fatherland” at the Capitol in Washington, USA, on September 24, 2020.
Tom Williams / Pool via REUTERS
Another New Hampshire senator, Hassan, rejected the proposal to raise the minimum wage. Like Shaheen, Hassan said he supports a separate bill to bring the increase to Congress, rather than increasing it with the stimulus package.
“Well, then there won’t be an increase in the minimum wage in this package,” said Hassan in an interview with WMUR9. “That said, I think it is really important that we all recognize that people who work 40 hours a week must be able to survive. They should not be living at or below the poverty level when they are working hard.”
Sen. Angus King of Maine
US Senator Angus King (I-ME) is seen in the Senate reception room during the fifth day of former US President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in Washington, USA, on February 13, 2021.
Greg Nash / Pool via REUTERS
King, an independent from Maine who usually meets with Democrats, also voted against Sanders’ proposal. He told The Wall Street Journal last week that while he supports raising the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour, he expressed concern that rising labor costs could lead companies to lay off employees.
During the pandemic, “many restaurants are just hanging on,” he said.
Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 17: US Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) speaks during a Finance Committee hearing at which US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer testified on June 17, 2020 in Washington, DC . Earlier, Lighthizer told the House’s Means and Means Committee that the US-China trade agreement shows no signs of weakening, despite recent conflicts, including issues involving the pandemic and China’s crackdown in Hong Kong.
Anna Moneymaker-Pool photo / Getty Images
Two Delaware senators, Sens. Carper and Coons were surprisingly dissenting from the increase in the minimum wage, especially from Biden’s home state, where local Democrats gave their support to such a policy.
Carper poured cold water on the proposal on Friday, citing the need to protect struggling companies from rising labor costs.
“I have supported a $ 15 minimum wage at the federal level for years,” said Carper in a statement to Delaware Online. “At a time when our economy is still slowly recovering, however, lawmakers have a responsibility to be especially attentive to the fragile state of small businesses across the country – many of whom are struggling just to remain open during this crisis without precedents. “
Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 30: Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) Asks Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a question during a Foreign Affairs Senate to discuss the Trump administration’s 2021 fiscal year budget request for the Department of State on July 30, 2020 in Washington DC.
Greg Nash-Pool photo / Getty Images
Like the other senators who disagreed, Coons said he was concerned about the impact of the minimum wage increase on small businesses.
“All Democrats and many Republicans agree that the $ 7.25 federal minimum wage is very low and has been around for a long time,” Coons said in a statement to Delaware Online. “It needs to be increased. President Biden has asked us to increase it to $ 15 an hour. I will work with my colleagues on legislation to raise the minimum wage and index it annually.”
