Downie: Democrats can’t back down on the minimum wage

Since the Senate parliamentarian decided Thursday that the White House’s covid-19 relief package cannot include a minimum-wage increase under the filibuster-exempt reconciliation process, Democrats are trying to put on a brave face. President Biden “is absolutely committed to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki on CNN’s “State of the Union.” On the same show, Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.), a close Biden confidant, echoed that message almost word-for-word. Even progressive Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) sounded bullish, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “Democrats are united” behind a higher minimum wage.