Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) renewed push for a 32-hour workweek is facing pushback from officials who argue the plan would hurt the workers it aims to help.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Club for Growth President David McIntosh criticized the proposal in separate Fox Business appearances.
Dignity Of Work
Rollins pushed back during an appearance on “The Sunday Briefing.”
“We believe in the dignity of work. It is a biblical foundation,” Rollins said. “The American dream does not include a four-day workweek, from my perspective, at least.”
Hurts The Workers
McIntosh joined FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on “Varney & Co.” to discuss the proposal.
“AI will make people more productive and they’ll get paid more, but Bernie’s idea will hurt the very workers he’s trying to help,” McIntosh said, adding that businesses could cut jobs and benefits if forced to comply. He called it part of a “far-left, radical, socialist” agenda he predicted would help Republicans in the midterms.
The Proposal’s Details
Correspondent Darren Botelho, also on “Varney & Co.,” reported that Sanders reintroduced the bill during the August recess. It would phase in the reduced workweek over four years, with time-and-a-half pay for hours beyond 32. Botelho noted shorter workweeks are already in place in France, Norway, Denmark and Belgium, where officials have reported productivity gains.
Sanders’ original Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, introduced with Senator Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act and bar employers from cutting pay or benefits. Sanders has said U.S. workers are over 400% more productive than in the 1940s and that AI-driven gains should go to workers, not “corporate CEOs and wealthy stockholders.”
Sanders’ Broader Push
Sanders has since named Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison as “oligarchs” whose AI investments he says threaten jobs without benefiting working families.
He has paired that with the Restoring Overtime Pay Act, which would raise the overtime salary threshold and could extend eligibility to up to 29.3 million workers, sponsors said. Sanders called the move necessary as “over 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.”
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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