Progressives in the House warned on Friday that they might withhold their votes for the stimulus package if the wage increase were removed. “This is not a matter of whether you have the votes — this is a matter of whether you do what you said,” said the Rev. Don’t hide behind a backdoor meeting.”Mr. Biden has acknowledged publicly that the wage increase could fall out of the bill, and indicated he would sign the package regardless. Top Democrats have signaled that they have no plans to oust Ms. MacDonough, who became the first woman to hold the post in 2012, despite liberal calls to do so. Democrats have begun drafting alternative plans — including tax penalties for large corporations that pay low hourly wages — that could qualify under Senate rules and achieve similar goals.

Source: New York Times February 27, 2021 17:37 UTC