U.S. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders said on Friday he expects to find out next week whether lawmakers can include a hike in the minimum wage to $15 an hour in the coronavirus relief bill they are racing to pass.
Democrats backing the gradual increase in the wage from the current $7.25 per hour have made their case to the Senate parliamentarian on why it should be included in the $1.9 trillion package addressing the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, according to Sanders.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said on Friday his deeply divided chamber will pass the bill before March 14, when the latest round of federal unemployment benefits expire.
(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Chris Reese)