Progressives May Delay Sending $1,400 Stimulus Checks in Fight for Minimum Wage Hike

Progressives May Delay Sending $1,400 Stimulus Checks in Fight for Minimum Wage Hike

House progressives may delay Congress in passing Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package—which includes the highly-anticipated $1,400 relief checks—to keep the $15 minimum wage hike in the sprawling bill.Progressive lawmakers on Friday warned Democratic leadership that they could withhold their vote for the legislation if the Senate removes the wage increase. Their opposition could send the package back to be renegotiated, which would further stall the passing of the bill."There are progressive Democrats that have that muscle in the House. If we as a party decide to stand down on our promise of elevating the minimum wage, I think that's extraordinarily spurious and it's something that as a party we could have a further conversation about how to fight for it," Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, after suggesting that progressives should pressure party leaders by withholding their votes in the same way that moderate Democrats have done in opposing the package.In the early hours of Saturday morning, the House of Representatives passed the relief bill largely along party lines in a 219-212 vote. Two Democrats—Jared Golden of Maine and Kurt Schrader of Oregon—broke with the party to oppose the legislation that Republicans in the lower chamber were unanimous in voting against.Senator