Bernie Sanders finally has the jurisdiction to make multi-millionaires sweat through their $600 cashmere sweaters.  

After two failed attempts at creating a state where the economy is no longer rigged in favor of the wealthy, the Democratic socialist has finally landed a position allowing him to accomplish the work he’s always wanted to do. Sanders has substantial views on wealth inequality in the United States, and 

Patty Murray, the former head of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has stepped down from this position to lead the Senate Committee on Appropriations. Thanks to Sanders’ longtime involvement in the HELP Committee, and his seniority, he will take over as chair after Murray. 

“… he will focus on universal health care, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, increasing access to higher education, and protecting workers’ rights on the job,” said Mike Casca, a spokesperson for Sanders – all solutions that begin, in Sanders’ mind, with taxing the rich. 

Sanders has already begun to call out those he wants to confront first. His subpoenas have been sent full charge to numerous multi-millionaires – if you pay lower taxes than your secretary, watch your back. 

First on his hitlist is the current CEO of Starbucks, whose estimated net worth is 3.9 billion dollars: Howard Schultz. 

Deeming Schultz the epitome of “corporate greed,” Sanders and the ten other Democrats working with him have already summoned Schultz to testify at a hearing on Starbucks’ adherence to federal labor laws. If Schultz ignores or refuses the request, Sanders claims he will use the Committee’s subpoena power to force him to appear. 

Though the Democratic majority in the Senate may give Sanders the authority to utilize the Committee’s subpoena power, Republicans control the House, limiting his ability to pass substantive legislation. 

Sanders’ ultimate objective is to create Medicare for all, a topic that dominates his political identity, but the likelihood that he will ever secure the necessary support in the Senate is slim. Understanding he would have no support on Capitol Hill, Sanders said this position forces him to take on  “two roles,”: chairman, a position with an increased emphasis on outcomes, and advocate – most notably for medicare, cost-free higher education, and paid family leave.

“What I ultimately would like to accomplish is not going to happen right now,” said Sanders.