CBO letter signals that Bernie Sanders' minimum wage bill may be able to pass via reconciliation

[Donkees]

Juliana Kaplan 19 hours ago


The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) — the government's official budget scorekeeper — has said that the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 would have a sizeable impact on the budget. That means it may be able to clear the hurdle of the Byrd Rule and be passed through reconciliation.

The letter came in response to Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) request for more information on the "breadth" of budgetary impacts from the legislation, which would raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025, and how it stacks up to other legislation passed by reconciliation.

Sanders has made clear that reconciliation — which can pass with only Democratic votes in the Senate — is how he wants to make this a reality. "It's gonna be in reconciliation if I have anything to say about it — it's the only way we're gonna get it passed," he told Insider's Joseph Zeballos-Roig.

The CBO compared the Raise the Wage Act to two different provisions from the Republican-authored 2017 tax act — one that allowed for oil and gas leasing in the Arctic, and another that got rid of penalties for not complying with the individual mandate — and found it impacts more budget functions than either.

That means that the minimum wage raise may not be struck down by the Byrd Rule, one of the greatest threats to it passing through reconciliation. Under the Byrd Rule, measures that are "extraneous" or "incidental" to the budget aren't permitted in reconciliation.

https://www.businessinsider.com/cbo-letter-signals-bernie-sanders-minimum-wage-passage-reconciliation-legislation-2021-2

[Hortensis]

1. Good news. nt

[still_one]

2. It seems to be leaving out the other major obstacles to this though, and that is Manchin and

Sinema, who have indicated they are not inclined to support it.

In addition, discussions need to be made if there should be exemptions for very small mom and pop businesses, and if it should be gradually increased, or done all at once

[superpatriotman]

3. +1

Let’s flood their office phones

[mucifer]

4. on Morning Joe they just said Manchin will follow the decision of whether it can be part of

a reconciliation bill. There is an official who is deciding on it.

[rpannier]

8. Several people have come up with a solution to their unhappiness

Make the bill 15.00 for 48 states and 11 for WV and AZ and they can go back home and find out what their constituents think of that.

[HUAJIAO]

9. HA HA HA !!!

good one...

[Turin_C3PO]

12. I think the way Sanders explained it

that it will be incremental and hit $15 in 2025. It might also be pegged to inflation.

[Donkees]

5. Rev. Dr. Barber: Do not talk about racial equity if you won't raise the minimum wage

When they wanted to give tax cuts to the wealthy, Republicans overturned the parliamentarian w/ a simple majority vote. Democrats, don't say it can't be done. And for God's sake don't tell us we don't need it! Do not talk about racial equity if you won't raise the minimum wage.

Link to tweet

[gab13by13]

6. Promises made, Promises kept,

Go for it president Biden. Democrats have a mandate, remember?

[machoneman]

7. Hoisted by their own petards...with chops to the Bard!

[kairos12]

10. AZ Sinema won't support it.

[Turin_C3PO]

13. She might budge

if a campaign in Arizona is launched to raise the minimum wage. Make her feel the pressure.

[still_one]

14. and we need all 50 Democrats for it to succeed

[beastie boy]

11. Five years from now. Imagine, If only Bernie started on this incrementalist approach five years ago.

[Johnny2X2X]

15. $15 minimum wage will fundamentally change the country

I haven't made less than that in decades, but I completely recognize and know what this would mean to tens of millions of America, it would mean hope. HOPE.

I realize that in some big cities that's not enough still, but in most places $15 an hour will be a massive raise of the floor for full time workers. $15 an hour is enough to have a hope at a decent life, fulltime that means you're making $31K a year. You and a partner working full time now have a floor of $62K a year.

I realize that $62K a year for a family of 3 or 4 is barely scraping by, but this is the floor now, and the floor previously for countless people was less than $30K a year which is not making it.

And think of young people without college, looking at a world where most of the jobs they can get pay $9 or $10 an hour breeds hopelessness. I was there, I was lucky enough to be able to return to school and get my degree, but I stared that hopelessness right in the face before that. I saw a life where I would work 40 hours and OT and not even be able to support myself much less raise a family. Showing a young kid just out of high school that you can work hard and have the bare necessities will make a world of difference in our society. $15 means that you can work hard, live, learn some new skills and soon be making $16 or $17 an hour, it means a future of $20 an hour is not far away. It means overtime with time and a half pays $22.50 an hour rather than 10.88 an hour. It rewards hard work.

[JoeOtterbein]

16. K n R ! Thanks for posting! nt