Intercept bureau chief: $15 minimum wage was not ‘high priority’ for Biden in COVID-19 relief

Ryan Grim, the D.C. bureau chief at The Intercept, said Tuesday he did not think President Biden sees the $15 minimum wage effort as a “high priority” for the COVID-19 relief package.

Hill.TV’s Krystal Ball asked Grim on “Rising” why the Biden administration was not pressuring senators opposed to the wage increase, and why it was not fighting the Senate parliamentarian’s ruling preventing the increase from being included in the package if Democrats move it forward under special budget rules to prevent a filibuster.

“I mean my read is this wasn’t a high priority of Biden’s in the COVID relief package to begin with,” Grim said. 

“I think that he kind of accepted that he was gonna lose on this and was never planning to fight for it much to begin with,” he said. “…and so once it looked like it wasn’t gonna happen, he’s like, ‘OK, well, this isn’t gonna happen.’”

Grim noted that Biden could push for a minimum wage increase later in his presidency. “He doesn’t think that this is over,” Grim said.

The White House reported that Biden was “disappointed” with Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough’s ruling on the minimum wage provision but that he would respect the outcome. 

Others like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are calling for Democrats to “ignore” the decision, saying it’s “nonsensical” that one person determines whether pay is raised for millions. 


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