Ro Khanna defends $15 minimum wages an hour, conservatives say he does not 'care about small businesses'
California House of Representative Ro Khanna on Sunday, February 21, came on CNN to discuss the prospects of raising the minimum wages to $15 an hour, however, conservatives found a reason to pounce on him saying he was disrespectful towards small businesses by saying he could pay a fair wage.
The 44-year-old lawmaker of Indian descent was asked how small businesses that are struggling to pay the bills in times of the Covid-19 pandemic would manage, and to that, he said: “They shouldn't be doing it by paying people low wages, we don't want low wage businesses, I think most successful small businesses can pay a fair wage.”
“If you look at minimum wage, it increased with worker productivity until 1968 and that relationship was severed,” the Democratic leader said, adding: “If workers were actually getting paid for the value they were creating, it would be up to $23. I love small businesses, I’m all for it, but I don’t want small businesses that underpay employees.”
RELATED ARTICLES
What is Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 plan? $1,400 stimulus checks are 'reassuring', says Internet
What is in $900B Covid-19 relief bill? America slams $600 stimulus checks and $300 bonus benefits as 'crumbs'
Covid-19 relief deal: Congress passes stopgap funding bill to avert shutdown amid debate on $1 trillion package
Khanna, along with Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, asked some of their hesitant Democrats in the Senate to keep the $15 minimum wage provision in President Joe Biden’s relief package worth $1.9 trillion. Newsweek reported on February 21 that Democratic members in the Congress are hoping that the full package will be passed under the slimmest margins by the middle of March.
However, at least two moderate Democrats who would be required for the 51-majority vote — Joe Manchin (West Virginia) and Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona) — have said time and again that they will not back the provision.
'Why don't moderates compromise sometimes?'
When he was asked about supporting a reduced relief package as part of a concession to the moderate faces of the party, Khanna countered saying: “I will vote for the final package. But my question is: why isn't this question asked of the moderates? Why don't they have to compromise sometimes?”
"I mean, I have voted for every single CARES package to date in the Congress. And there are many times there were provisions I didn't like... Now, my question is, why not have the same question for the moderates? Maybe they disagree with the minimum wage, but the overwhelming — Americans agree with it. So they can vote for the final package even if they disagree with some of those provisions."
Conservative news site The Post Millennial took a dig at Khanna saying he doesn’t care about independent small businesses. Also criticizing the idea of raising the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15 by 2025, the Post said: "The potential move has been criticized by Republicans, who argue that it would put many Americans out of work as some businesses cannot afford to pay $15 per hour."
"Others have also criticized it as a one-size-fits-all approach. Cost of living ranges drastically across American states, and while a $7.25 wage may not be a livable wage in New York City, it is not the same case for a state such as Mississippi," the report said.
"In a study conducted by the Congressional Budget Office, they found that increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour would lift 0.9 million people out of poverty, place 1.4 million Americans out of a job, and would increase the US budget deficit by $54 billion," the report added.
