Washington (CNN) Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has previously criticized Amazon's treatment of its workers, praised CEO Jeff Bezos Tuesday for his company's new $15 an hour minimum wage for US employees.

"It is absurd that the taxpayers of this country have to subsidize the wealthiest person on Earth, who happens to be Mr. Bezos, because so many of his workers made wages that were so low that they were forced to go on food stamps and Medicaid -- it doesn't make sense," Sanders told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "So I applaud Jeff Bezos today for raising the minimum wage at Amazon."

Sanders urged other companies to follow Bezos' lead.

"You cannot continue to pay your workers starvation wages," Sanders said. "Learn from what Bezos has done. He has done the right thing. You have got to do it as well."

Sanders confirmed that he had reached out to Amazon to thank the company and added that he expected to speak to Bezos or Amazon Senior Vice President Jay Carney, a former White House press secretary, later Tuesday.

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