White House: Biden disappointed in Senate’s ruling on including $15 Wage in Covid Relief Bill

On Thursday, the decision in the Senate hit hard the Democrats’ expectations of bringing a rise in the minimum pay to $15 Wage and adding it to the Covid-19 relief package. It is most likely dooming the proposal which is due for a vote in Congress. 

On Thursday, the White House stated that President Biden is disappointed in Senate’s ruling on the $15 minimum wages rise in the Covid-19 bill, however, added that the President respects the Senate’s decision.

The parliamentarian ruled that the plan was not compliant with the rules administering the budget process that Congress is applying to pass the bill with a small majority.

Biden and his team wanted to double the minimum wage to $15 each hour by 2025. They wanted to include this in the Covid-19 relief bill to help tackle the socio-economic crisis brought by the pandemic, which has killed more than 500,000 Americans and tossed millions unemployed.

In the United States, about 10 million of the 22 million workers that lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic outbreak still remain unemployed. The rate of unemployment is declined to 6.3% at the beginning of 2021, with several economic analysts stating the figure could continue to surge for months.

The Democrats are endeavoring to propel the COVID-19 bill under a special budget provision that would enable them to pass it in the Senate utilizing a basic lion’s share, so they won’t require the support of the Republicans. 

“We are profoundly disappointed in this ruling,” stated Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader. “We won’t surrender the battle to raise the minimum wages to $15 and help a large number of Americans struggling amid the pandemic. The American public deserves to have this provision, and we are focused on making it a reality, he added.”

US senator Bernie Sanders stated he firmly disagrees with the decision and recommended another approach to raise wages via the budget process.

However, Senator Lindsey Graham welcomed the senate ruling and tweeted, “exceptionally satisfied with the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision that the rise in the minimum wage is an improper policy change in reconciliation.”

On Wednesday, the White House chief of staff Ron Klain stated on MSNBC that VP and president of the Senate Harris would not make an effort to overturn the ruling if the Senate parliamentarian chose the minimum wage was not able to be a part of the Coronavirus Relief Package.