Democrats Scramble to Add Wage Hike Without Slowing Stimulus
- Senators considering new tax on big companies with low pay
- ‘Plan B’ comes after minimum-wage hike hit procedural block
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Democrats are racing to salvage a key progressive agenda item -- higher wages for low-paid workers -- but they are running out of time to attach it to their $1.9 trillion stimulus bill and pass the legislation by a March 14 deadline.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is considering whether to add a provision that would penalize large corporations that don’t pay workers at least a $15 hourly wage, said a senior Democratic aide. That’s the level President Joe Biden proposed to phase in as part of his Covid-19 relief program.