Publications	Issue List	Vote Analysis	Main Page
February 10, 2000

Minimum Wage Hypocrisy

Look Who Wants a Clean Bankruptcy Bill

President Clinton didn't inhale, Vice President Gore invented the Internet, and Senate Minority Leader Daschle wants a clean bankruptcy bill. Now that bankruptcy reform is before a House-Senate conference, Senator Daschle wants the conference committee to remove the Republican minimum wage increase and small business tax cuts in the Senate version of the bill (AP, 2/9/00):

I'd take out the minimum wage, I'd take out these tax provisions. Let's look at tax provisions free-standing. And then let's pass a good bankruptcy bill. . .

Could it be true? Did Senator Daschle really want a clean bill all along? Or could it be that he himself held up the bankruptcy bill until given a chance to attach these items, was then beaten by a better Republican amendment, and is now retreating from his own failed strategy?

Let's check the replay. Last October, Senator Daschle said (Congressional Record, page S13365, 10/28/99):

We have to have an opportunity, for example, to offer minimum wage on the bankruptcy bill when it comes up. . . .

Despite some reservations, Senator Daschle also supported his party's decision to attach a net tax increase to the bankruptcy bill (Congressional Record, page S14251, 11/8/1999). Ultimately, the Republican minimum-wage increase/small-business tax cut amendment prevailed over the Democrat minimum-wage increase/tax-hike amendment.

What really happened is that Senator Daschle is now being criticized for that strategy by his own party. As Senator Leahy told reporters and Senator Daschle (AP, 2/9/00):

Unfortunately, adding the minimum wage and the tax things shouldn't have been done.

Perhaps not, but that was Senator Daschle's choice. He shouldn't be able to slow down the Senate by forcing it to reopen an already-resolved issue (minimum wage) simply because he lost.

Top

Publications

Issue List

Vote Analysis

Main Page