May 5, 2023
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is creating a political headache for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) by pushing hard for a vote on a bill to raise the national minimum wage to $17 an hour — a proposal Senate Democrats facing tough reelection races opposed in 2021.
Sanders, who remains very popular with the Democratic Party’s progressive base, warned Thursday there would be “political consequences” for lawmakers who oppose his effort.
“We’re going to push it as quickly and hard as we can,” Sanders told reporters at a Thursday press conference.
“Right now we’re focusing on making sure that we have the votes in the Senate and the House to raise the minimum wage,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a state in the country where people do not believe we should raise the minimum wage. I would hope that every member of Congress understands and there will be political consequences … if they don’t.”
Sanders’s proposal to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $17 an hour over five years is an updated version of the proposal he pushed in 2021 to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, which eight Senate Democrats voted against.
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