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Ro Khanna proposes ‘ownership economy’ as US wage share drops
Khanna pointed to economic data showing U.S. wages and salaries falling to 43% of gross domestic income.
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Staff Reporter - Mon, 17, Aug 2026
- 02:03 EDT
- 28
Ro Khanna / X/@RoKhanna
California Rep. Ro Khanna has proposed an “ownership economy” policy framework aimed at reversing decades of income inequality and ensuring productivity gains from artificial intelligence reach American workers.
Pointing to economic data showing U.S. wages and salaries falling to 43% of gross domestic income, near the lowest share since records began in 1929, he said the sharp decline in the labor share of national income is the “central economic issue” of our time.
Khanna pointed to a long-term trend in the U.S. economy, noting that over the last 50 years, the stock market has appreciated significantly while wage growth has lagged. He argued that the core conflict in the modern economy is between those who hold significant assets and those who rely on wages.
The sharp decline in national income is the central economic issue of our time. It is why we need an ownership economy and Medicare for All.
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) August 16, 2026
corporations should be incentivized to give employees stock.
small business should be incentivized to give employees a share in… https://t.co/YijGgDOXYU
“Over the last 50 years, the stock market has gone up about 20,000%. The explosion in wealth inequality is between those who own significant assets and those who are paid for their work in wages with little equity,” he said.
Khanna’s proposed “ownership economy” focuses on redistributing productivity gains more broadly through several key initiatives, such as creating tax incentives for corporations to give employees stock, incentivizing small businesses to give employees a share in profits, reforming policy to make it easier for employees to buy businesses as employee-owned cooperatives, and implementing Medicare for All so employers can use savings from premiums to increase wages.
With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, he said policy intervention is essential to ensure that productivity gains do not simply go to the existing capital class but also to workers.
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