President Biden pushed for an increase in the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour as part of his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.
But Mr. Biden, who spent more than three decades in the Senate, also said repeatedly he didn’t think it would pass muster with the chamber’s rules under the fast-track budget process Democrats used to thwart a possible filibuster.
In the end, the Senate parliamentarian agreed with him and senators axed it from the House-passed relief bill.
Both the White House and congressional Democrats say the fight isn’t over, though a straight increase would likely be subject to the 60-vote filibuster threshold in a 50-50 split Senate.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi leads the vote to approve a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, at the Capitol in Washington, March 10, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON (AP) A US Congress riven along party lines approved a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Democrats claimed a triumph on a bill that marshals the government’s spending might against twin pandemic and economic crises that have upended a nation.
The House gave final congressional approval to the sweeping package by a near party line 220-211 vote precisely seven weeks after Biden entered the White House and four days after the Senate passed the bill. Republicans in both chambers opposed the bill unanimously, characterizing it as bloated, crammed with liberal policies and heedless of signs the crises are easing.
The House on Wednesday passed a $1.9 trillion spending package, sending the bill to President Biden, where it will likely serve as a key first-term achievement. Not a single Republican voted for the bill.
House set for final passage Wednesday of Biden s $1 9T Covid aid plan msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.