Democrats tussle over minimum wage. Kamala Harris is caught in the middle

Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to break a tie on a procedural vote as the Senate works on President Biden’s $1.9-trillion COVID -19 relief package on Thursday. William Barber II, one of the nation’s leading civil rights activists, defined the fight over raising the national minimum wage as Kamala Harris’ first fork-in-the-road moment since she became vice president. Harris’ defenders note that the minimum wage hike, though unlikely to be included in the Biden administration’s final $1.9-trillion COVID-19 relief plan, is a fight that is only in its first round. “You’re not going to raise the minimum wage by stomping your tweets, and she’s not going to do something the president doesn’t want her to do.” Biden and other Democrats worry that a contentious fight that squeezes fellow Democrats could risk losing votes on the relief bill, a signature priority, and create longer-term damage to Biden’s promise to restore rules and a cooperative atmosphere. They “This moment for a $15 wage is a defining moment for economic justice, for racial justice and for the Democratic Party, and there’s an incredible opportunity for Vice President Harris to recognize that moment,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, who was national co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.