- President Joe Biden says a $ 15 increase in the minimum wage is unlikely to be included in the COVID-19 relief bill.
- Biden said he would be open to negotiating an additional salary increase separately.
- “Look, no one should work 40 hours a week and live below the poverty line,” said Biden.
- Visit the Insider Business section for more stories.
President Joe Biden said he does not believe that a measure to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 will be included in the COVID-19 stimulus package.
During an interview clip for CBS released on Friday, Biden said that although he included the minimum wage increase in his $ 1.9 trillion aid bill, he does not think it will happen because of “Senate rules. from United States”.
“My guess is that it won’t be there,” said the president. “But I think we should have a minimum wage alone, $ 15 an hour.”
Read More: Democrats are moving forward with Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion COVID stimulus – with or without Republicans. Here are the top 4 points of conflict that can blow things up.
Biden said he would like a separate negotiation to take place over the minimum wage and to implement the increase gradually. The federal minimum wage is currently $ 7.25.
“Look, nobody should work 40 hours a week and live below the poverty wage. And if you earn less than $ 15 an hour, you are living below the poverty wage, ”said Biden.
The president and Congressional Democrats sought to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour by 2025 as part of the coronavirus stimulus project. However, Republican congressmen and some Democrats fought against it.
While Senate Democrats stand to approve an aid package without any support from the Republican Party, an amendment passed in the House on Thursday night questions whether the salary increase will be included in the bill.