Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said on Wednesday that, when she feared that a $ 15 minimum wage was about to be cut from President Biden’s aid package for COVID, she and her team asked the White House to support progressives in the Twitter. Biden tweeted within an hour.
Why it matters: Former President Trump was famous for his use of Twitter, especially to promote his own causes and beliefs, but now Democrats are enjoying a new pulpit to spread their narratives and policies to the masses.
Progressives believe that because by successfully shaping a political narrative, they can significantly influence politics – especially since some of their more moderate Democratic colleagues in the Senate, such as Senator Joe Manchin, have their own power to dull the momentum and key parts of the left’s agenda.
- “We have tried to be more deliberate about … deciding what our requests are for any project, in the beginning, and then distilling them into three, four or five key priorities for the Caucus Progressivo,” said Jayapal. “And we are trying to improve the sending of those talking points that people can send messages every week.”
- Jayapal has advocated raising the federal minimum wage to $ 15 for years. In 2014, she was appointed to the Seattle Mayor’s income inequality task force, which drafted a successful proposal to raise the city’s minimum wage that year.
- Congressional Progressive Caucus, led by Jayapal, also made it clear in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week that including the $ 15 minimum wage in the COVID package does not it is negotiable.
What they are saying: Jayapal (D-Wash.) Relayed the story from Twitter on Wednesday morning during a Congressional Progressive Caucus meeting. Zoom’s call was followed by more than 140 members and employees.
- “I called the White House, our team called the White House, and said, ‘We want the president to weigh in with a tweet about how essential it is to put $ 15 in the reconciliation package,'” she said.
- The White House responded almost immediately, with a tweet from @POTUS: “It’s past time to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour. The American Rescue Plan will do that.”
Senator Bernie Sanders has led The Senate’s efforts to include raising the federal minimum wage in the Biden package.
- A person familiar with his approach told Axios that Sanders is looking for an “inside-out” strategy.
- He wants to ensure that it is included in the final package, getting involved with the Senate parliamentarian, defending the measure during cable news interviews and participating in Congressional Progressive Caucus calls to discuss the matter.