Seeing Biden’s 1.9 trillion dollar American Rescue Plan coming down the pike and despite the bipartisan happy-talk coming from the administration, Skydoge took a deep dive into the “budget reconciliation process” -- a legislative mechanism by which the Democratic majority would presumably be able to pass their economic relief package without Republican support or the looming threat of a Senate filibuster.

The more Skydoge learned about budget reconciliation, the more he feared the episode would spiral into uninteresting wonkery. So, he did the only reasonable thing - he vowed to make budget reconciliation sexy!

Little did he know that this issue would be HOT by the time the episode was released. The issue: raising the minimum wage to $15 within this reconciliation package.

For reasons we discuss in this episode, the Senate parliamentarian ruled against including a $15 minimum wage in the Senate’s version of the reconciliation package. The Biden administration declined the possibility of VP Harris overruling the Senate Parliamentarian‘s decision. Then the Senate voted on an amendment that would raise the minimum wage but it did not pass. Ultimately, a minimum wage increase is not included in the American Rescue Plan.

All of this evoked the ire of progressives who feel bamboozled by a Democratic Party that campaigned on a promise to fight for a $15 minimum wage. Skydoge has some comments at the end of the episode regarding the tensions surrounding these developments.

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