Senate Parliamentarian Rules Against Including Minimum Wage in COVID-19 Relief Bill

The effort to get Americans vaccinated is gaining steam, but the Biden Administration’s hopes of getting the minimum wage raised may have hit a snag.

The Senate Parliamentarian decided this evening that the minimum wage hike to $15 an hour should be cut out of the massive COVID-19 relief bill.

“President Biden is disappointed in this outcome, as he proposed having the $15 minimum wage as part of the American Rescue Plan,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. “He respects the parliamentarian’s decision and the Senate’s process.”

The finding comes as Democrats prepare for House approval of a $1.9 trillion package that still includes the minimum wage boost.