Eight Democratic senators voted on Friday against Senator Bernie Sanders’ amendment to ignore a Senate congressman’s decision and add a $ 15 minimum wage to COVID’s $ 1.9 trillion relief package.
The situation: The vote was open for hours on Friday afternoon – even after all the senators had voted – due to a stalemate in negotiations on the next amendments that the Senate will accept.
- Senate Democrats reached an agreement on an amendment that would reduce supplementary unemployment benefits from $ 400 a week to $ 300, while extending the program to September and making $ 10,200 from non-taxable benefits.
- But Senator Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) seemed undecided at 2:30 pm and was considering voting on an amendment by Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), which would reduce the benefit to $ 300 a week and see it expire in July. In a 50-50 Senate, the moderate Manchin’s vote has much more weight.
Why does it matter: Sanders’ $ 15 minimum wage amendment was virtually guaranteed against failure, as it would require 60 votes. But the defection of eight Democrats shows that support for raising the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour as part of reducing COVID may be weaker in the Senate than many progressives believed.
Between the lines: The Senate congressman decided last week that the provision violates the budget reconciliation rules, which allow important legislation to be passed by a simple majority if it affects government finances, and must be removed.
- President Biden supported the $ 15 minimum wage increase as part of COVID’s relief, but said he would accept the congressman’s decision. Sanders, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, pressured the Senate to annul the congressman.
- It is possible that Democrats who rejected Sanders’ amendment support an increase in the minimum wage, but voted “no” because they oppose it as part of the relief from COVID or respect the decision of the parliamentarian. Biden and other Democrats expressed support for an independent project to raise the minimum wage.
Details … Democratic senators who voted against the provision include:
- Joe Manchin (W.Va.)
- Jon Tester (Mt.)
- Jeanne Shaheen (NH)
- Angus King (Maine, independent who agrees with the Democrats)
- Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.)
- Tom Carper (Del.)
- Chris Coons (Del.)
- Maggie Hassan (NH)
What they are saying: “If any senator believes that this is the last time he is going to vote whether or not to give 32 million Americans a raise, he is sadly mistaken. was done because it is what the American people demand and need “, Sanders tweeted after the vote.
The end result: Senators who did not support the increase on Friday are likely to be targets of progressives.