Members of the Democratic Party’s Progressive wing are calling for the Senate parliamentarian to be removed, after her ruling late Thursday that a $15 federal minimum wage hike cannot be included in Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID relief measure.
The Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled the increase cannot be included in the effort to pass the relief package through a procedure known as budget reconciliation, which will allow passage by a simple, 51-vote majority.
“Abolish the filibuster. Replace the parliamentarian. What’s a Democratic majority if we can’t pass our priority bills? This is unacceptable,” tweeted Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, among the most outspoken members of the House Democratic Conference’s progressive wing.
Upping the rate for government employees only is plainly discriminatory and goes against all laws regarding equal protection. Nobody needs a $1200 check, we all earn that on our own every couple weeks. Keep the 1.9T in the treasury to keep America strong.