Alex Brandon/AP
Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, on the fifth day of the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper said he’ll continue to push to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour after the proposal was removed from the stimulus package recently signed by President Joe Biden.
The increase, from the current $7.25 per hour, would have been phased in over the next four years. Negotiators took it out of the American Rescue Plan bill to win the votes they needed for passage.
Hickenlooper said he backs the increase and believes some Republicans can be persuaded to vote for it.
Senate Bill Includes Warm Springs Water Improvements
Tribal communities like the Confederated Tribe of Warm Springs would see big improvements to their water quality under a bill introduced by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley. The legislation, Western Tribal Water Infrastructure Act – which was first introduced in 2019 – will help move these communities out of the cycle of temporary and emergency fixes to those problems by ensuring stable and reliable federal investments in water infrastructure projects.
Native American tribes in Oregon and across the West are suffering from inadequate water infrastructure, with aging drinking water treatment and distribution systems subjecting these communities to serious problems such as failed pressure relief valves, burst pipes and unsafe drinking water.
Wyden, Merkley reintroduce bill to help Warm Springs, other tribes with water woes ktvz.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ktvz.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Deb Haaland’s assurances during her nomination hearing appeared to provide little comfort to Senate Republicans, who argued that the Democratic lawmaker’s criticism of fracking, support for pipeline protesters and endorsement of the Green New Deal make her unfit for a job that includes overseeing energy development on federal land.
The Senate ultimately is still expected to confirm Haaland, but the slim control Democrats have means Haaland needs every vote she can get. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who is chairman of the committee considering her nomination, threw into doubt the fate of another Biden nominee last week.