WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans rallied firmly against Democrats’ $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill while lawmakers awaited a decision from the Senate MP that could reinforce or possibly kill a crucial provision that raises the federal minimum wage.
Despite their wafer-thin majorities in Congress, Democratic leaders were poised on Friday to push the bulky package through the House. They hoped that where changes seem likely, the Senate would follow suit soon enough to have legislation on President Joe Biden’s desk by mid-March.
By the end of Wednesday, not a single Republican in either house had said publicly that he or she would support the legislation. GOP leaders hardened attacks on the package as a job killer who does too little to reopen schools or businesses closed due to the coronavirus pandemic and that was not only wasteful but also unscrupulous.
“I haven’t seen a Republican find anything they agree with,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. “I think all Republicans believe in three simple things: they want a law that will get us back to work, back to school and back to health. This bill is too expensive, too corrupt and too liberal. “
The hardening opposition suggested that Biden’s first major legislative initiative could meet with unanimous GOP opposition. That was a counterbalance to the new president’s chorus during his campaign about bringing the country together and a repeat of the Republican wall that new president Barack Obama faced in 2009 and most of his administration.
Democrats showed no signs of backsliding, citing the aid the measure would spread to people, businesses and state and local governments.
“If Congressional Republicans want to oppose that, my answer is good luck,” said Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., on the Senate floor.
Wednesday night was the greatest tension over a decision expected from Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate’s impartial arbiter of her rules, which promised massive political and legislative ramifications.
The bill includes a provision that for five years the federal minimum wage would rise to $ 15 an hour. The MP is involved because the Democrats are pushing the $ 1.9 trillion total measure through Congress under special rules that will allow them to avoid a Senate filibuster by Republicans.
The same rules prohibit provisions with only an “incidental” impact on the federal budget because they are mainly driven by other policy purposes. The parliamentarian decides whether a provision passes that test.
With Republicans strongly opposed to a minimum wage hike, the only way to survive is to include it in a filibuster-proof bill like the COVID-19 relief measure. To end a filibuster, Democrats would need 60 votes, an impossibility for them in the 50-50 equally divided Senate.
If the MP decides that the minimum wage provision can remain in the bill, that would be a great boost for his supporters. But there would be no guarantee that the measure would survive, as some moderates are against it or want it to be reversed. That suggests that grueling negotiations about the final form lie ahead.
A decision by the MP to drop the minimum wage increase from the bill can be fatal, but not necessary. Democrats could use a rarely used procedural move to get the minimum wage provision by just 51 votes into the bill anyway, but it was unclear if they could muster enough support to do that.
The minimum wage has been at $ 7.25 since 2009. Winning the raise is a top priority for progressives at a time when Democrats control Congress and the White House.
The total bill would bring millions of Americans in direct payments of $ 1,400 to help them weather the pandemic that shut down much of the economy for a year and killed half a million people. It holds billions of dollars for vaccines and COVID-19 testing, schools, state and local governments, and unemployment emergencies, while offering tax cuts or payments for many families with children.
In a sign of tough politics on the horizon, top Republicans suggested House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., And Schumer squeeze money into the bill for their own states.
McCarthy said the bill included $ 100 million to expand the BART commuter rail system from San Francisco south to San Jose. That project has been previously approved by the Trump administration and is not located in the San Francisco district of Pelosi, a top Democratic assistant said.
McCarthy and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Suggested that Schumer had won money for a bridge connecting New York State to Canada. A senior Democratic aide said the bill includes $ 1.5 million for the bridge, which is located in Rep. Elise Stefanik, RN.Y. located. The assistant said it was requested in 2020 by the Trump administration’s transportation division, which was headed by McConnell’s wife Elaine Chao.