Liberals Furious After Several Dem Senators Vote Against Including Minimum Wage Increase in the COVID Relief Bill

An amendment by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to insert a $15/hr. minimum wage provision into the COVID relief bill failed in the Senate today.

All of the Republican Senators, 7 Democrat Senators, and Independent Senator Angus King (ME), who typically caucuses with the Democrats, voted against the increase.

Liberals on Twitter were furious, listing the names of those who voted against it with some vowing to primary them.

Joe Manchin (D-WV), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Tom Carper (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jon Tester (D-MT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) all voted against the measure.

Sanders tweeted out, “If any Senator believes this is the last time they will cast a vote on whether or not to give a raise to 32 million Americans, they are sorely mistaken.”

“We’re going to keep bringing it up, and we’re going to get it done because it is what the American people demand and need,” Sanders insisted.

If any Senator believes this is the last time they will cast a vote on whether or not to give a raise to 32 million Americans, they are sorely mistaken. We’re going to keep bringing it up, and we’re going to get it done because it is what the American people demand and need.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) March 5, 2021

Sanders wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, said, “Keep fighting. Publicize how senators voted – organize, be civil but don’t give up, persuade, build vocal support, ensure media covers impact on people. Change minds.”

#FightFor15 Every Repub & 8 Dem Senators voted against @BernieSanders amendment to raise the minimum wage today. Keep fighting. Publicize how senators voted – organize, be civil but don’t give up, persuade, build vocal support, ensure media covers impact on people. Change minds. pic.twitter.com/jgrEcBtDqK

— Jane O'Meara Sanders (@janeosanders) March 5, 2021

Tweets from upset liberals:

8 Democratic senators voted against $15 minimum wage. Call me old fashioned, but when my squadmates start helping other squads, I vote to kick. If that doesn't work, I am forced to leave the squad. We must play the objective. That's why I'm starting my own party: The Gamer Party. pic.twitter.com/A31Iv605Hg

— Ace Watkins (@GamerPres20XX) March 5, 2021

32 million Americans were let down today by 8 Democratic Senators—all millionaires—who probably couldn’t tell you what the difference between $7.25 and $15 means to workers rationing their medicine or skipping rent to to feed their children.

This battle is far from done. https://t.co/EnxQMhg3rU

— Joe Sanberg (@JosephNSanberg) March 5, 2021

These 8 Democratic Senators, who each make $174,000 a year, voted against giving Americans a fair, minimum wage.

•Joe Manchin
•Kyrsten Sinema
•Angus King
•Tom Carper
•Chris Coons
•Jon Tester
•Jeanne Shaheen
•Maggie Hassan

— Outspoken (@Out5p0ken) March 5, 2021

Previously, we reported:

Newly-elected U.S. House Rep Burgess Owens (R-UT) criticized the proposed $15 minimum wage hike yesterday in a tweet, specifically calling out U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and a previous situation where it was discovered that some of his campaign staff were not making that wage.

“So, @BernieSanders raised $108 million for his campaign and couldn’t raise staff minimum wage to $15/hour without cutting hours… Yet, he thinks it’s crazy that the mom and pop small businesses in my district are worried,” Owens stated in the tweet.

Owens then asked, “I wonder why America thinks Congress is out of touch?”

A “renewable energy policy manager” from Utah, Nate Blouin, shared two articles which showed that in 2019, he went to lecture Walmart on their wage practices while some of his staff weren’t making the $15/hr based on how many hours worked versus their salary.

In the follow up article, it was reported that Sanders’ campaign and a union representing campaign staffers had reached an agreement to pay those staff the equivalent of at least $15/hr.

According to Jonathan Williams, a spokesman for the union, no hours or positions were being cut to accommodate the salary increase, however, in the first article, it was reported that the staff in question were working up to 60 hours per week and then the agreement limited their hours to 50.

A Fox News headline at the time said, “Bernie Sanders campaign announces it will cut hours to pay staffers $15 minimum wage, prompting mockery.”

One Twitter user “Allison” responded to Blouin and said, “Why was this necessary seeing as how he is the “man of the WWC and all, shouldn’t $15 an hour have been his minimum from day one, shouldn’t he have been leading by example or was it just a sound byte until he was backed into a corner and had to? Just asking.” Blouin agreed with her.

It was recently reported that President Biden doesn’t believe that the minimum wage hike will be passed at this time, ultimately. “I don’t think it’s going to survive,” Biden recently told CBS News.