“You think very seriously before casting a deciding vote against your own party's president's legislative agenda,” said Ian Russell, a longtime Democratic consultant. But he cautioned that lawmakers must decide “for themselves how their vote is going to play out" at home. The issue that's provoked the deepest divisions is a progressive-led drive to boost the federal minimum wage to $15 hourly over five years. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., his chamber's chief minimum wage sponsor, said Democrats must “act boldly” and approve a package with the minimum wage increase. She said she also told him, “If I pull you over the top, you’ll lose this seat.”Both scenarios played out.

Source: ABC News February 22, 2021 05:48 UTC