Fight for $15: Wage hike likely blocked from Biden’s COVID relief

In blow to progressives, Senate arbiter says fast-track process to pass signature legislation precludes the wage hike.

A provision that would raise the United States minimum wage as part of President Joe Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief legislation has been dealt a likely lethal blow. Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate parliamentarian and the nonpartisan arbiter of its rules, determined that a process Democrats are taking to fast track the passage of the bill with a simple majority in the chamber precludes including the measure, which would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, well above the $7.25 floor in place since 2009. The wage increase has long been a legislative goal among US progressives, but its inclusion in Biden’s legislation had garnered criticism from within the party.