*By Christian Smith*
Congressman Ro Khanna wants to inspire companies to do better by their workers.
"It's absurd that you have multi-billion dollar companies, trillion-dollar companies that aren't able to pay their workers $15," Rep. Khanna said Friday in an interview on Cheddar.
That's why the prominent House progressive, who represents California's Silicon Valley, is teaming up with ex-presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to introduce legislation that would place a tax on large corporations ー money that is equivalent to the amount of federal benefits their low-income employees receive to make a livable wage.
Rep. Khanna's House bill is called the "Corporate Responsibility and Taxpayer Protection Act" and targets large companies across industries, including tech, retail, and fast food, he said.
Sanders was a little more pointed with his version, dubbed the "Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies Act." That's Stop BEZOS, if you didn't notice.
Rep. Khanna said that Amazon has responded to the Sanders bill, saying the company creates safe working spaces for employees and offers competitive benefits. But the Congressman said the point of benefits is a separate matter.
"They're still not addressing the fundamental point," Khanna said.
"Why can't they just come out and say they're going to pay every employee in our company at least a $15 wage so they can have a livable wage?"
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/congressman-ro-khanna-wants-major-corporations-to-improve-worker-pay-or-pay-more-in-taxes).
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will not travel to Milwaukee to accept his party's White House nomination because of concerns over the coronavirus.
U.S. stock indexes drifted higher Tuesday as Wall Street's big rally eased off the accelerator.
President Donald Trump has signed into law legislation that will devote nearly $3 billion annually to conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks and other public lands.
A Manhattan prosecutor trying to get President Donald Trump’s tax returns told a judge that he was justified in demanding them, citing public reports of “extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.”
Since March, there have been 423 workplace litigation cases related to COVID-19, according to a tracker developed by the law firm Fisher Phillips.
Parents in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee are among those who will be the first to navigate the new academic year as schools open up in parts of those states this week.
While the U.S. economy shrank at an annualized rate of 32.9 percent during the second quarter, the downturn didn't seem to affect Facebook at all.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has told lawmakers that once a coronavirus vaccine is approved as safe and effective, Americans should have widespread access within a reasonable time.
President Trump has rolled back and an Obama-era fair housing policy, allowing developers to bypass building affordable housing in suburban neighborhoods. David Sanchez, director of research & development at National Community Stabilization Trust, assesses the move as a rallying call to Trump's base ahead of the November election.
