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In line with one of President Joe Biden’s chief campaign promises, Congressional Democrats yesterday introduced historic legislation that would more than double the hourly minimum wage of the country’s most poorly paid workers to $15. The measure would also eventually eliminate the lower tipped minimum wage that most waiters, bartenders, and bussers earn in New York and other states.
Despite Republican opposition, a process known as budget reconciliation appears to give the so-called Raise the Wage Act a chance at being signed into law.
The movement for a $15 minimum has been a long time in the works; the Fight For Fifteen movement first began in 2012 when fast food workers walked off the job in New York City to demand higher pay.
West Virginia senator Joe Manchin (D.) said he will defend the congressional filibuster despite pressure from liberal activists to abolish the legislative maneuver.
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Hill Democrats may be fine with that. Even immigration reform advocates say they’d understand.
Taken together, Joe Biden’s legislative immigration plan and swift unilateral actions present a clear departure from the last time a Democrat was in the White House. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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When President Joe Biden unveiled an immigration bill on the first day in office, he sent a signal to advocates, the Democratic base, and Congress that the issue was a top priority for him.
But even as the president and Democrats on the Hill begin the heavy lift of turning a priority into law, the White House is weighing taking a secondary path: doing it piece by piece.
Durbin, who has served in the Senate since 1997 and is a veteran of many budget and procedural battles, said a minimum wage increase falls within the parameters of budget reconciliation.
That means Democrats would be able to pass it in the Senate with a simple majority vote, instead of the 60 normally needed to advance legislation.
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“It’s being discussed. I don’t know that a final decision has been reached,” Durbin said of the possibility of increasing the minimum wage through the budget reconciliation process.
He affirmed that Democrats think it’s a possible avenue.
Biden s push for a $15 minimum wage is part of his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill that he has made his top legislative priority. Democrats in both chambers also reintroduced a bill Tuesday to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time since 2009, setting a $15 an hour target by 2025.