*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).
Volkswagen gets its first chance to show off its new electric vehicle, the ID. Space Vizzion, even as the California government boycotts the show over some automakers siding with the White House in a fight over emissions standards.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, November 21, 2019.
The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019 passed through the House Judiciary Committee 24-10 on Wednesday.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several Democratic lawmakers held an event as the impeachment inquiry raged on drawing attention back to background check legislation currently stalled in the Senate.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, November 20, 2019.
As 2020 presidential candidates prepare to take the stage at the fifth Democratic debate on Wednesday, the lower tier candidates continue their fight for a spot on the national stage.
The third day of impeachment hearings finished up with testimony from Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine who attempted to clarify inconsistent testimony, and Timothy Morrison, a former National Security Council official.
The Growing Renewable Energy and Efficiency Now (or GREEN) Act would add five years to the so-called investment tax credit (ITC) that provides an upfront subsidy to solar and offshore wind projects.
Andrew Yang wants the U.S. to create useful rules for cryptocurrency businesses and projects now, rather than playing catch-up after another jurisdiction has already done it. He recently layed out his vision for a national framework on cryptocurrencies.
The social media company is worried its Chinese roots could get in the way of growth opportunities and is now considering ideas like moving operations to Singapore and rebranding the app in the U.S., according to a report.
