Negotiations with Republicans would be another step entirely. And it would likely frustrate progressives and raise alarm among labor and defense groups who expect Biden to deliver on his promise to deliver a minimum wage of $ 15 an hour. Progressives argue that a gradual $ 15 floor over five years is already in between and likely to oppose any deal that is significantly lower.
“They don’t want to explode the world politically and pay a high political cost, but if the policy is aligned with a smaller increase, Joe Biden generally wants to do business,” said a source with knowledge of the government’s thinking. The White House “is not doctrinal in terms of politics about what they sign,” added the source.
Cedric Richmond, a senior adviser to the White House, would say only that the government is “exploring all options” and that internal deliberations are still in the preliminary stages.
“It’s still early in the game,” said Richmond. “This is not the point at which you expose your entire strategy for the world to see.”
The search for a way to approve a salary increase took on renewed importance this week, after the Senate congressman decided that Democrats and the White House could not do so in the Covid relief bill being considered under the rules reconciliation. Democrats are considering trying to approve the measure through reconciliation again, when Congress considers its second bill in the coming months. But that would face similar obstacles, among which several Senate Democrats said they would not support a $ 15 hourly increase.
Passing a bill in normal order would not involve the parliamentarian. But it would take 60 votes in the Senate to pass – meaning that all Democrats and at least 10 Republicans would have to sign. And that, said former Senate majority leader Harry Reid, an important ally of Biden, is where a deal should be struck.
“The minimum wage will be raised, it’s just a matter of how much,” said Reid. “The Chamber can earn $ 15 an hour, but I think that when it comes to the Senate in one way or another, that will be reduced.”
The White House has repeatedly insisted that Biden remains committed to a minimum wage of $ 15 an hour. And at a meeting with Senate Democrats on Tuesday, the president reiterated his position: “We need to get to $ 15,” he said. “I fully support $ 15.”
But the White House has, in the past, telegraphed that a final negotiation could mean that they will not reach that target. And within Biden’s orbit, there is no strong desire to use the issue as a battering ram against the opposition.
“There is a zero percent chance that the White House will stick the minimum wage down the throat of Republicans,” said a source close to the White House.
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki repeated Biden’s commitment to a $ 15 hourly wage. But when asked if the president would negotiate with the Republicans, she said: “he is happy to hear any ideas, but obviously I am not going to negotiate from here”.
Aides insist that talking to Republicans does not necessarily mean withdrawing $ 15. There are other dimensions that could be negotiated, including extending the time period during which wages are raised, redefining which companies will be affected and including other provisions to help small businesses companies that may have to raise their employees’ salaries.
Republicans have shown some comfort with wage increases, though not as much as Democrats. Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah.) And Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) Proposed a gradual increase in the minimum wage to $ 10 an hour along with an electronic verification mandate, requiring proof that employees are legally able to work in the parents.
So far there has been no contact between Romney or Cotton and the White House about the minimum wage, according to two sources familiar with the matter. An adviser to the Republican Party in the Senate said there are Republicans who want to have talks about the wage floor, but that the e-verify mandate is likely to be an obstacle.
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, argued that Biden could use the support he built around Covid’s aid package to pressure lawmakers to support a $ 15 wage floor: He “got all that support in his home state districts. Nelson hoped that a $ 15 wage increase would be part of discussions over a package of jobs and infrastructure that the White House should focus on in the coming months. And she argued that Biden should put pressure on Republicans by building support for a pay rise with governors and mayors.
“This is something that Biden understands,” said Nelson, “that you cannot discard people because when you discard people, you are excusing and not holding them accountable.”
Caitlin Oprysko and Theodoric Meyer contributed to the report.