W.H. ‘Has Every Power to Disregard’ Parliamentarian on Minimum Wage Increase

On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Last Word,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) stated that the White House “has every power to disregard” the Senate parliamentarian’s decision if the parliamentarian rules that a $15 minimum wage cannot be passed through budget reconciliation.

Khanna said, “There is no provision in the Constitution that says that the Senate parliamentarian has any power. And Ron Klain is a brilliant constitutional lawyer. He knows that the vice president has this decision. And in 1975, Vice President Rockefeller disregarded the advice of the Senate parliamentarian when they actually lowered the threshold on the filibuster from 67 votes to 60 votes. And Robert Dove, a Senate parliamentarian, who I know you respect because you served in the Senate, has said many times that people have disregarded the parliamentarian’s ruling. So we should just be honest with folks. If there are political reasons that the White House doesn’t want to disregard the parliamentarian, for whatever reason, then just come out and say that. But no,  this is the decision that the White House has. The vice president has every power to disregard that decision.”