Democrats' hopes of including a minimum wage increase in their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill seemed all but dead Monday as the Senate prepared to debate its own version of the House-passed aid package, with a deadline on extending emergency unemployment two weeks away.
Four days after the chamber’s parliamentarian said Senate rules forbid inclusion of a straight-out minimum wage increase in the relief measure, Democrats seemed to have exhausted their most realistic options for quickly salvaging the pay hike. In one decision, they abandoned a potential amendment threatening tax increases on big companies that don't boost workers’ pay to certain levels.
“At this moment, we may not have a path but I hope we can find one” for pushing the federal pay floor to $15 an hour, said No. 2 Senate Democratic leader Richard Durbin of Illinois.
Senate Democrats hope to unveil their version of the broad relief package and begin debate as early as Wednesday. CNN congressional reporter Lauren Fox writes that once the bill is brought to the floor, 20 hours of debate will begin. Then comes the vote-a-rama -- when Senators introduce multiple amendments and vote on each. This can take hours. Fox says a vote could come early Friday morning, noting the last vote-a-rama ended at 5 a.m.
If the bill is passed with changes, then it must be approved by the House again before going to President Joe Biden for his signature. This may involve a conference committee of both House and Senate members to find a compromise both chambers can agree to.
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