Interns work for free in the offices of many members of Congress. They do so to get experience and to beef up their work resumes. However, many work for Democrats who rally behind the $15 minimum wage hike and consider it a sin to pay anyone working any less. That’s pretty hypocritical by anyone’s standards.

For all the talk around “income inequality,” Democrats seem the best at furthering it. As HeatStreet notes in a recent report, “Of the nearly 190 members of Congress co-sponsoring the $15 minimum-wage legislation, the vast majority don’t pay their own interns a penny.” Only 10% do, and even then, sometimes it’s a mere stipend.

Ultra-left Rep. Keith Ellison is known for advocating the economically destructive wage hike, saying, “Americans deserve nothing less.” Ellison also contends it “isn’t too much to ask from big corporations booking huge profits.” But he doesn’t want to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to his own office.

Calling out this unfairness is founder of the non-profit Pay Our Interns group, Carlos Vera.

“I think it’s important to practice what you preach and ensure that your values are aligning with your actions,” he said.

Vera’s bipartisan group explains that unpaid internships occur in half of Republican’s offices and a quarter for Democrats. But as HeatStreet points out, critics say unpaid internships are advantageous to middle- and upper-class students, not lower income students who can’t afford holding a free summer job.

Both Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren pay their interns. However, Sanders pays slightly less, at$12 per hour, while Warren offers only stipends and that is only when they are receiving outside funding or academic credit, HeatStreet states.

Can Democrats really stand on a platform of fairness and inclusion for all Americans, and then treat interns and office workers differently?

We wait with bated breath for their answer.