Free Republic

President Joe Biden will sign a new executive order Tuesday that will raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $15 an hour, from the current rate of just under $11. The new order will be fully implemented by March 2022. The White House said that Biden’s planned action doesn’t include a past pledge to instate a new benefits package into federal contracts. Biden originally signed an executive order Jan. 22 that directed the Office of Management and Budget to provide him with options for both instituting a $15 minimum wage and providing “emergency paid leave to workers.” Pressed...

The Senate wrestled with dozens of amendments to the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill in a session that lasted all night. In the end, after 41 votes, Vice President Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the stimulus measure. The “vote-a-rama” considered amendments designed to make Democrats look bad and, in a couple of instances, bipartisan support for some issues won the day.Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) offered an amendment to prevent an increase in the $15 an hour minimum wage during the pandemic. While the measure passed with the help of Democrats, the increase may be restored in the final...