President Joe Biden campaigned on a promise of a $15 federal minimum wage and there is momentum to make it happen, especially with Democrats holding unified control of the White House and Congress. This week, the House Budget Committee included the gradual increase of minimum wage to $15 by 2025 as a provision in its latest $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Still, there are hurdles to passing the wage hike in Congress. Democrats are planning to use a process known as budget reconciliation to fast-track passage of the Covid relief bill in the Senate — it requires only a simple majority instead of the usual 60 votes necessary to pass a bill. But, Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Synema of Arizona have come out against a $15 federal minimum wage, which puts the vote in jeopardy, given the fact that Democrats have a razor thin majority in the Senate.