“I’m sorry Mr. Bezos won’t join our hearing on income and wealth inequality,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders
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“As the wealthiest person on earth, I’d love to hear his reasoning as to why he is vigorously opposing a union organizing effort at Amazon which would improve wages and benefits for struggling workers,” said Sanders, who publicly invited Bezos to attend earlier this month.
An Amazon spokesperson told The Hill that Bezos is “unable to attend the hearing.” They did not immediately respond to follow-up questions about the reasons for his absence.
Bezos’s absence from Wednesday’s hearing comes as Amazon faces increasing scrutiny from Congress, both over its market power and concerns that it did not sufficiently protect its employees from the coronavirus pandemic. The CEO testified before Congress for the first time last summer after previously having relied on senior executives to be his presence in Washington.
A woman should be presumed telling the truth and should not be scapegoated and victimized by her coming forward, Biden told ABC News. But there should be an investigation to determine what she says is true. That s what s going on now. And you’ve been very clear, if the investigation confirms the claims, he’s gone? George Stephanopoulos
ADVERTISEMENT That’s what I think happens, Biden said. And by the way, it may very well be that there could be a criminal prosecution attached to it.
Biden, who was the subject of allegations of inappropriate conduct that surfaced early in the the 2020 presidential campaign, added that it takes a lot of courage to come forward and that the accusations should be taken seriously.
Biden says he supports return to talking filibuster thehill.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehill.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Washington is gearing up for a battle over raising taxes as President Biden looks for a way to pay for his agenda while Republicans are planning to dig in their heels ahead of the 2022 elections.
Democrats are facing big headaches as they try to craft a sweeping infrastructure and jobs package.
Fresh off a victory on the coronavirus relief bill, where they eschewed GOP support, President Biden
The goal could test Democratic unity due to razor-thin margins in both chambers and early signs of contention over how to pay for the spending, including talk of a tax hike, and whether the bill should be narrowed in order to make it bipartisan.
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“Writing tax law is, in the best of circumstances, challenging. When you’re looking at all these moving pieces, yes, this is very different. It’s going to be a big lift, but the stakes are so important,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Roy Wyden (D-Ore.) told The Hill about passing an infrastructure package.