Senate Dems defect, reject $15 federal minimum wage

Senate Democrats turned against their own by voting not to raise the federal minimum wage to $15. On Friday, the 58-to-42 vote sustained GOP objections against the wage increase.

Critics of the bill, which included seven Democrats and one Independent, said raising the minimum wage would hurt small businesses already suffering from the pandemic. They also reiterated that living costs differ in each state.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), who proposed the bill, vowed this would not be the last time senators would vote on a minimum wage bill. Furthermore, today’s vote marked the first of potentially many amendments to come on the massive COVID-19 relief bill.