President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on February 26, 2021. (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Feb 25, 2021
The contrast between the procedural difficulty of pushing a modest pay increase for millions of workers through the Senate and the relative ease with which President Joe Biden--without congressional approval--launched a deadly bombing campaign in Syria late Thursday was the subject of much discussion and outrage as the president's lethal operation overseas coincided almost simultaneously with the Senate parliamentarian's advisory ruling against a popular $15 minimum wage measure.
The two events, according to progressive critics and political commentators, spotlighted how existing institutional constraints are heavily biased against the advancement of working-class interests but do little to prevent the commander-in-chief from unilaterally bombing foreign nations on the basis of highly dubious-to-nonexistent legal authority.
"Can't get Americans their relief checks in the midst of a historic pandemic for which the nation's economy was effectively shut down, but bombing Syria some more is a first 100 days priority. Unbelievable."
--Elizabeth Bruenig, New York Times
"Personally I think it should be easier to raise the minimum wage than to drop bombs on Syria," tweetedThe New Republic's Kate Aronoff.
Pointing to the Senate's legislative filibuster as a key obstacle in the way of even minor policy changes, Matt Yglesias of the Slow Boring newsletter wrote sardonically on Thursday that "the genius of America is you need a 60-vote supermajority to raise the minimum wage, but the president can bomb some militia in Iran based on ... I dunno ... an AUMF from two decades ago that was about something else entirely or something."
While Biden had no issue bypassing congressional oversight to launch an attack on border-crossing station in eastern Syria, the White House suggested late Thursday that having Vice President Kamala Harris overrule the non-binding opinion of the Senate parliamentarian--an unelected official with no constitutional authority--would be a bridge too far, despite the fact that the Constitution empowers her to do so.
Biden "respects the parliamentarian's decision and the Senate's process," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
"We assassinate people by drone strike and have a literal prison colony in Guantanamo but where we draw the line is ignoring the Senate parliamentarian when [she] says no to a minimum wage hike," tweetedThe Intercept's Ken Klippenstein.
\u201cBiden will pretend a Parliamentarian advisement his VP can override has made his own minimum wage increase impossible, while simultaneously committing acts of war against Syria despite not having the required authorization from Congress. The "rules" have always been bullshit.\u201d— The 2026 World Cup Anticipator (@The 2026 World Cup Anticipator) 1614304449
After lamenting the highly undemocratic nature of a system in which "some unheard of parliamentarian ends up deciding whether or not a law gets passed to give millions a raise," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) tweeted Friday morning that "we cannot stand up for congressional authorization before military strikes only when there is a Republican president."
"The administration should have sought congressional authorization here," said Khanna. "We need to work to extricate from the Middle East, not escalate."
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The contrast between the procedural difficulty of pushing a modest pay increase for millions of workers through the Senate and the relative ease with which President Joe Biden--without congressional approval--launched a deadly bombing campaign in Syria late Thursday was the subject of much discussion and outrage as the president's lethal operation overseas coincided almost simultaneously with the Senate parliamentarian's advisory ruling against a popular $15 minimum wage measure.
The two events, according to progressive critics and political commentators, spotlighted how existing institutional constraints are heavily biased against the advancement of working-class interests but do little to prevent the commander-in-chief from unilaterally bombing foreign nations on the basis of highly dubious-to-nonexistent legal authority.
"Can't get Americans their relief checks in the midst of a historic pandemic for which the nation's economy was effectively shut down, but bombing Syria some more is a first 100 days priority. Unbelievable."
--Elizabeth Bruenig, New York Times
"Personally I think it should be easier to raise the minimum wage than to drop bombs on Syria," tweetedThe New Republic's Kate Aronoff.
Pointing to the Senate's legislative filibuster as a key obstacle in the way of even minor policy changes, Matt Yglesias of the Slow Boring newsletter wrote sardonically on Thursday that "the genius of America is you need a 60-vote supermajority to raise the minimum wage, but the president can bomb some militia in Iran based on ... I dunno ... an AUMF from two decades ago that was about something else entirely or something."
While Biden had no issue bypassing congressional oversight to launch an attack on border-crossing station in eastern Syria, the White House suggested late Thursday that having Vice President Kamala Harris overrule the non-binding opinion of the Senate parliamentarian--an unelected official with no constitutional authority--would be a bridge too far, despite the fact that the Constitution empowers her to do so.
Biden "respects the parliamentarian's decision and the Senate's process," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
"We assassinate people by drone strike and have a literal prison colony in Guantanamo but where we draw the line is ignoring the Senate parliamentarian when [she] says no to a minimum wage hike," tweetedThe Intercept's Ken Klippenstein.
\u201cBiden will pretend a Parliamentarian advisement his VP can override has made his own minimum wage increase impossible, while simultaneously committing acts of war against Syria despite not having the required authorization from Congress. The "rules" have always been bullshit.\u201d— The 2026 World Cup Anticipator (@The 2026 World Cup Anticipator) 1614304449
After lamenting the highly undemocratic nature of a system in which "some unheard of parliamentarian ends up deciding whether or not a law gets passed to give millions a raise," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) tweeted Friday morning that "we cannot stand up for congressional authorization before military strikes only when there is a Republican president."
"The administration should have sought congressional authorization here," said Khanna. "We need to work to extricate from the Middle East, not escalate."
The contrast between the procedural difficulty of pushing a modest pay increase for millions of workers through the Senate and the relative ease with which President Joe Biden--without congressional approval--launched a deadly bombing campaign in Syria late Thursday was the subject of much discussion and outrage as the president's lethal operation overseas coincided almost simultaneously with the Senate parliamentarian's advisory ruling against a popular $15 minimum wage measure.
The two events, according to progressive critics and political commentators, spotlighted how existing institutional constraints are heavily biased against the advancement of working-class interests but do little to prevent the commander-in-chief from unilaterally bombing foreign nations on the basis of highly dubious-to-nonexistent legal authority.
"Can't get Americans their relief checks in the midst of a historic pandemic for which the nation's economy was effectively shut down, but bombing Syria some more is a first 100 days priority. Unbelievable."
--Elizabeth Bruenig, New York Times
"Personally I think it should be easier to raise the minimum wage than to drop bombs on Syria," tweetedThe New Republic's Kate Aronoff.
Pointing to the Senate's legislative filibuster as a key obstacle in the way of even minor policy changes, Matt Yglesias of the Slow Boring newsletter wrote sardonically on Thursday that "the genius of America is you need a 60-vote supermajority to raise the minimum wage, but the president can bomb some militia in Iran based on ... I dunno ... an AUMF from two decades ago that was about something else entirely or something."
While Biden had no issue bypassing congressional oversight to launch an attack on border-crossing station in eastern Syria, the White House suggested late Thursday that having Vice President Kamala Harris overrule the non-binding opinion of the Senate parliamentarian--an unelected official with no constitutional authority--would be a bridge too far, despite the fact that the Constitution empowers her to do so.
Biden "respects the parliamentarian's decision and the Senate's process," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
"We assassinate people by drone strike and have a literal prison colony in Guantanamo but where we draw the line is ignoring the Senate parliamentarian when [she] says no to a minimum wage hike," tweetedThe Intercept's Ken Klippenstein.
\u201cBiden will pretend a Parliamentarian advisement his VP can override has made his own minimum wage increase impossible, while simultaneously committing acts of war against Syria despite not having the required authorization from Congress. The "rules" have always been bullshit.\u201d— The 2026 World Cup Anticipator (@The 2026 World Cup Anticipator) 1614304449
After lamenting the highly undemocratic nature of a system in which "some unheard of parliamentarian ends up deciding whether or not a law gets passed to give millions a raise," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) tweeted Friday morning that "we cannot stand up for congressional authorization before military strikes only when there is a Republican president."
"The administration should have sought congressional authorization here," said Khanna. "We need to work to extricate from the Middle East, not escalate."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.