Biden Says He Doesn’t Think $15 Minimum Wage Will ‘Survive’ in Covid Relief Bill: I’m Prepared for ‘Separate Negotiation’ on It
President Joe Biden has called for a $15 federal minimum wage, but in a new interview he said it’s unlikely to be included in the covid relief bill.
CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell questioned Biden about it and asked, “Is that something you would be willing to negotiate on in order to get Republican support?”
Biden remarked, “Well, apparently, that’s not going to occur because of the rules of the United States Senate… My guess is it will not be in it.”
Asked whether a $15 minimum wage being included in the COVID-19 relief bill is negotiable in order to get GOP support, Pres. Biden tells @NorahODonnell “I don't think it's going to survive.”
Pres. Biden says he’s “prepared” to have a “separate negotiation on minimum wage.” pic.twitter.com/BdTRzj7DM9
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) February 6, 2021
He continued to push for it and said, “I am prepared, as president of the United States, on a separate negotiation on minimum wage, to work my way up from what it is now… No one should work 40 hours a week and live below the poverty wage.”
When O’Donnell asked again if it won’t be in the bill, Biden said, “I put it in, but I don’t think it’s going to survive.”
Earlier Friday night, Bernie Sanders — now the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee — continued pushing for the increase and said, “It is a moral imperative in the richest country in the world that no one is forced to live on a starvation wage.”
The budget resolution the Senate passed today puts us on a path to finally raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. It is a moral imperative in the richest country in the world that no one is forced to live on a starvation wage, and the American Rescue Plan will get it done.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 5, 2021
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