Harris Won’t Overrule Senate Parliamentarian on Minimum Wage, White House Chief of Staff Says

Vice President Kamala Harris will not attempt to overrule the Senate parliamentarian if she rules that a federal minimum wage increase cannot be enacted through a process known as budget reconciliation, according to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain. “Certainly that’s not something we would do. We’re going to honor the rules of the Senate and work within that system to get this bill passed,” Klain said on MSBNC on Feb. 24. Democrats are pushing through President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package using the budget reconciliation method, which requires 50 votes to pass, instead of the 60 votes necessary to break a legislative filibuster. The package includes a federal minimum wage increase to $15 per hour, which the Congressional Budget Office has estimated will result in the loss of 1.3 million jobs. It remains unclear if the minimum wage increase is eligible to be passed through budget …