A $15 federal minimum wage would be devastating for our hardest-hit small businesses at a time when they can least afford it, Ernst said.
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She added that while all senators support higher wages . a $15 federal minimum wage would be counterproductive to this goal.
The amendment, like most during the Senate s hours-long vote-a-rama on the budget resolution, is nonbinding. But a roll call vote would have forced Democrats to go on the record on increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour while they are still trying to figure out a policy that unifies their narrow majority.
Sanders, who has led the push to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, quickly stood up to speak on the Senate floor and, in a twist, it wasn t to oppose Ernst s amendment, but to support it.
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.
Walsh was pressed by Republicans on Biden’s executive order revoking a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.
“I hope that when confirmed, you’ll be an adult voice in the room reining in this type of politically motivated chaos,” Burr said.
Walsh said that the jobs lost from the Keystone XL pipeline will be “more than made up” through new plans and proposals throughout the Biden administration.
Burr also called Biden’s move to fire the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) general counsel, who was a Trump appointee, after he refused to resign “disturbing.”
“It’s a disturbing signal from an administration preaching the need for bipartisan unity,” Burr said.
2020: A year in photos 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.
McConnell has offered a competing measure that would tie an increase in the checks to removing a legal shield for tech companies and creating a commission to examine the 2020 elections. But that proposal is viewed as a non-starter for Democrats, underscoring that the GOP leader’s bill also is unable to pass the Senate.
“There is no other game in town beside the House bill. . The House has recessed for the year. Any modification or addition, the House bill cannot become law before the end of this Congress,” Schumer said.
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If the Senate passes anything besides the exact language of the House bill, the measure would need to bounce back across the Capitol and passed for a second time by the House, where lawmakers have already left town and aren’t expected to return until Sunday for the swearing in of the 117th Congress.