Minimum Wage Increase Stalls in the Senate

Senate Democrats fell 6 votes short of the 60 needed to end debate on passing the clean, House veriosn of the minimum wage hike, and will now debate adding small business tax cut amendments to the bill.  From the NYT:

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, expressed disappointment over the Senate vote. “Our colleagues in the House came together -- Democrats and Republicans -- and they passed a minimum wage bill with no strings attached,” he said.

Low-wage workers “deserved the same respect from the Senate,” Mr. Kennedy said. “We should have passed this bill today and put it before the president for his signature this afternoon. We will not rest until we do right by working families.”