Joe Manchin Mocked Bernie’s $15 Minimum Wage Bill at Lobbyist Event
Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema were at a closed-door event with restaurant lobbyists yesterday bragging about defeating the $15 minimum wage. Manchin even mocked Bernie Sanders for his efforts. It’s a disgrace.
Sen. Joe Manchin on Capitol Hill on January 27, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Leigh Vogel / Pool-Getty Images)
When Joe Manchin told attendees at the National Restaurant Association (NRA)’s national conference on Tuesday that the minimum wage shouldn’t be more than $11 and there should still be a subminimum wage for tipped workers, the group’s chief lobbyist couldn’t contain his excitement.
“From your lips to God’s ears,” exclaimed Sean Kennedy, the NRA’s executive vice president of public affairs, who spoke with the Democratic senator from West Virginia as part of a virtual panel titled, “Seeking Unity: Conversations on Finding Bipartisan Solutions.”
The NRA is a powerful, sprawling lobbying operation, with $289 million in revenue in 2018 and state affiliates around the country. The organization has been leading the charge to block a federal $15 minimum wage and is also fighting a separate Democratic effort to make it easier for workers to form unions.
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