The parliamentarian has forced lawmakers to come to terms with these differences which may result in a compromise that better reflects the national

As America was reminded last week, Congress has some built-in brakes against the unfettered use of power, and rules still matter.

If Senate Democrats wish to use the reconciliation process to take away Republicans’ ability to filibuster the proposed $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package, they must adhere to the Byrd Rule.

If that sounds arcane and complicated, it is. Just remember that it keeps senators from piling a bunch of unrelated items into a bill, where they will receive little or no debate, and then ramming them into law.

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In this case, the Senate’s chief parliamentarian, a neutral, nonpolitical arbiter, ruled that a measure that would increase the nation’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 had no business being added into an aid package that would be passed under reconciliation.

Named after Sen. Robert C. Byrd, who sponsored the rule in the mid-1980s, the Byrd Rule says a bill passed under reconciliation can’t include a measure with a meaningful fiscal impact that is “merely incidental” to the rest of the bill. Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough said the minimum wage hike qualifies as incidental to the relief package.

We’re confident most Americans would agree that, whether they support hiking the minimum wage to $15 or not, it is important enough to be considered and debated in a separate bill of its own. Lawmakers love to twin controversial items with something more popular, giving themselves some political cover as they vote in favor.

In this case, more moderate Democrats have reservations about raising the minimum wage to $15. As the Wall Street Journal noted on Friday, Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, and Kyrsten Sinema, of Arizona, have wavered in their support for it. With the Senate divided 50-50, and with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote, Democrats can’t afford to lose a single vote.

The parliamentarian has forced lawmakers to come to terms with these differences, which may result in a compromise that better reflects the national mood on the subject. As the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently determined, a $15 minimum wage would provide raises for about 27 million Americans, but it would cost 1.4 million of them their jobs as employers deal with the increased cost of doing business.

Given the vast differences in the cost of living among various states, the minimum wage debate may best be settled on a state level. Already, 29 states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages higher than the $7.25 federal level. A few have lower levels.

The parliamentarian is, of course, not elected. The Senate could simply overrule her. Democrats also could do away with the filibuster rule and remove the need for reconciliation. But everything comes with a cost, and Democrats are well aware that their actions here could set a precedent and come back to hurt them when Republicans one day regain power.

The Byrd Rule and the filibuster tend to be self-governing that way. Already, President Joe Biden has said he reluctantly respects the parliamentarian’s decision.

If that respect holds in the Senate, the minimum wage will be heard another day, separate from pandemic relief. That’s better for the republic and for the American people, who should be glad that rules to curtail power exist and are enforced.

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