Bernie Sanders Spars With Fox’s Hillary Vaughn Over Proposed 32 Hr Work Week: ‘Excuse Me!’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Fox Business Network’s Hillary Vaughn shouted over each other, with neither one backing down, after she asked him about his proposal for a 32-hour work week.

Sanders and Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) introduced a bill Wednesday for a standard four-day workweek in the United States without any reduction in pay and benefits for workers. Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) presented “companion legislation” in the House.

Vaughn confronted the senator in a hallway on Capitol Hill Thursday:

VAUGHN: It seems like Democrats want businesses to be taxed more, pay their workers —

SANDERS: Really? Is that what you think?

VAUGHN: They pay their workers —

SANDERS: Excuse me! Excuse me!

VAUGHN: I didn’t get to ask my question.

SANDERS: Ok, thank you. You wanna — hold it, Ok. We held a hearing on a 32-hour work week because what we have seen is that over the last 50 years, despite a huge increase in worker productivity, almost all of the wealth has gone to the top 1% while 60% of the people living paycheck to paycheck. Many of our people are exhausted. We work longest hours of any people in the industrialized world. I think it is time for a shortened work week.

VAUGHN: Let me ask you a question about that. Seems like Democrats want businesses to be taxed more, pay their workers more, lower prices, and now pay people not to work.

SANDERS: Really? That’s not my assumption. I don’t think so. You know what Democrats — you know what I would like to see?

VAUGHN: How are businesses going to survive that? That’s the question. How can businesses survive that? How can businesses survive all of those proposals?

SANDERS: When Mr. Bezos pays an effective tax rate lower than the average worker, I think we have a real problem in our tax system. I think that billionaires have got to start paying their fair share of taxes. Thank you.

Watch the clip above via Fox Business Network.