House Democrats released their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal which contains a controversial federally-imposed $15 per hour minimum wage.
All Democrat senators would have to vote in favor of the bill, however, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have expressed objection to the minimum wage proposal.
The report also found that raising the minimum wage would increase the budget deficit by $54 billion and raise prices for goods and services.
Republican leadership in the House is recommending a “no” vote on the $1.9 trillion relief bill.
On Friday, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said in an email to his caucus “Leadership recommends a NO vote.”
Scalise’s team, in the email, dubbed the bill as “Pelosi’s Payoff to Progressives Act.” It alleged that Democrats have rushed to bring to the floor the relief package that “will keep schools closed, bail out blue states, pay people not to work, and raise the minimum wage to $15/hour.”
“Republicans insist that we must safely reopen schools, reopen the economy, speed up vaccine distribution, and effectively spend the remaining $1 trillion from previous COVID packages,” the email from Scalise reads. “However, Democrats rejected hundreds of Republican amendments and any efforts to advance bipartisan solutions that are targeted, temporary, and tied to COVID relief.”