GOP Senator Slams House Bill Touts National Shutdown, His Own Bill, & Free Wages
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) does not like the House bill and claims it’s time for the US to take more serious measures to stop the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, and that includes a national “shutdown.”
“The time has come for extraordinary measures to combat the Chinese coronavirus. What seems extreme today will seem obvious tomorrow,” Cotton, an outspoken skeptic of the House’s relief package, said on Monday.
This shutdown would only allow “absolutely essential workers” and stipend the rest of the workforce to assist them in paying their bills until the pandemic slows down.”
Cotton used Italy as his example claiming that the country now faces a health care crisis that has led to sicker patients and hospitals rationing care.
“Call it what you want—a shutdown, quarantine, curfew, whatever. But only absolutely essential work should continue: groceries, pharmacies, supply transport, health care, electricity, water, sanitation, etc. Everyone else should stay home,” Cotton contends.
“Shut down all but essential government agencies & services. At federal, state, and local levels, officials working to arrest the virus’s spread and mitigate its economic harm (and other essential services like food aid and VA care) must continue working,” he continues. “No one else should.”
Cotton also said:
The military must prepare for defense support of civil authorities, especially at hospitals, nursing homes, etc., & do whatever is needed to increase our capacity to treat patients. Our military plans for exactly this kind of contingency. Our doctors and nurses may need them. As Dr. Anthony Fauci said yesterday, “we’ll be thankful that we overreacted” if we arrest the spread of the virus, preserve hospital capacity, and save lives.
During an appearance on Fox and Friends Cotton said that he doesn’t feel the House bill Does enough or is fast enough.
I and a lot of the other senators who I’ve spoken to over the weekend are worried that we’re not doing enough to get cash in the hands of affected workers and families quickly so we’re going to be focused this week on how to do just that.
“We worry that the bill setting up a new and complicated system relying on businesses giving paid sick leave and then getting a refundable tax credit won’t move quickly enough and could put pressure on those businesses to lay workers off,” he continued.
“We don’t want to see layoffs, we want to see people who are at home, if they have any reason to be home, supported immediately,” he added, stressing that it is an “emergency measure that only needs to last a few weeks if we all take the prudent steps necessary.”