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Senate Expects Ruling on $15 Minimum Wage Proposal as Soon as Wednesday
Posted
February 25, 2021
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0:45Now PlayingSenate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders said he expects a key Senate official to rule as soon as Wednesday on whether a $15 minimum wage increase can be included in the fast-tracked Covid-19 relief of bill.
If the parliamentarian rules that the wage hike has only an incidental fiscal impact, that could doom its inclusion. Reconciliation bills are designed to be predominantly fiscal in nature. Lack of Republican support for the overall bill raises the hurdle for the wage-measure’s inclusion.
The Congressional Budget Office did determine that the proposal would add to budget deficits, but the question remains as to whether the impact is big enough to qualify. The minimum wage may also run afoul of reconciliation rules against creating deficits after 10 years, based on the CBO score. That could be remedied by offsetting it with other savings or revenue.
Approval by the parliamentarian would set off a battle between Democrats, setting two moderate Democrats opposing the measure against the Sanders wing of the party.
Budget Committee Staff Director Warren Gunnels said that Democrats are also seeking rulings from the parliamentarian on the multiemployer pension bailout that was included in the House bill, as well as premium subsidies for laid-off workers who buy into former employers’ health-care plans through a program known as COBRA.
If the pensions bailout is ruled out of order, that could resolve another sticking point in the Democrats’ bill. House members carved out funding for that provision by keeping the extension of enhanced unemployment benefits to five months, rather than the six that some senators favor. Taking out the pension money would provide the opportunity to extend the jobless aid to September.
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