March 1, 2021
Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on Monday urged Vice President Kamala Harris to override the parliamentarian's ruling that reconciliation cannot be used on the $15 minimum wage hike in President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus relief package.
Sanders, chair of the
Senate Budget Committee, has refused to give up on passing the $15 minimum wage after Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough decided that the measure did not meet the requirements of the budget process called reconciliation.
"My personal view is that the idea that we have a Senate staffer, a high-ranking staffer, deciding whether 30 million Americans get a pay raise or not is nonsensical," Sanders
told reporters. "We have got to make that decision, not a staffer who's unelected, so my own view is that we should ignore the rulings, the decision of the parliamentarian."
He added: "Given the enormous crises facing this country and the desperation of working families, we have got to as soon as possible end the filibuster
Sanders has vowed to force a vote in the upper chamber to determine support for the $15 minimum wage later this week. "To the best of my knowledge, there will be a vote on the minimum wage, and we'll see what happens," he said. "I intend to offer the bill that will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and we'll see how the votes go."
Warren joined Sanders in calling for
Democrats to ignore the parliamentarian's decision. "I agree," she said.
