By Alexander Bolton - 02/04/21 06:00 AM EST
Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough will soon play a crucial role in determining whether President Biden’s proposal to increase the minimum wage and other components of his $1.9 trillion relief package make it through Congress.
As legislative referee, MacDonough is tasked with deciding if provisions like raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour are allowed to pass the Senate with a simple-majority vote under a special process known as budget reconciliation.
The parliamentarian will pass judgment on what elements of Biden’s plan comply with the Byrd Rule, which lays out detailed requirements for protecting legislation from filibusters through the reconciliation process.
“Absolutely not. No,” Manchin told The Washington Post in an interview published Friday. “Getting people vaccinated, that’s job No. 1.”
“How is the money that we invest now going to help us best to get jobs back and get people employed? And I can’t tell you that sending another check out is gonna do that to a person that’s already got a check,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchin in a tweet, later said if a new round of checks go out, they should be targeted to ensure they go to those in need.
If the next round of stimulus checks goes out they should be targeted to those who need it. https://t.co/MWvt9EHOBS Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen JoeManchin) January 8, 2021
Manchin shoots down proposed round of $2K checks: Absolutely not thehill.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehill.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.