BILLIONAIRE SAYS WHAT?
Trump’s Commerce Secretary: ‘I Don’t Quite Understand Why’ Federal Workers Need to Go to Food Banks to Feed Their Families
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says he does not understand why federal workers who haven’t been paid in weeks need to take advantage of food banks at homeless shelters to feed their families.
“I know they are, and I don’t really quite understand why,” Ross told CNBC Thursday morning, as RollCall reports. “Because, as I mentioned before, the obligations that they would undertake, say borrowing from a bank or a credit union are in effect federally guaranteed.”
“So the 30 days of pay that some people will be out, there’s no real reason why they shouldn’t be able to get a loan against it.”
That’s largely false. And even if they are able to get loans, they will have to pay interest on those loans, which can also affect their credit ratings adversely.
Ross reportedly is a multi-billionaire, although some reports place his wealth at $700 million.
Here’s the video of the Commerce Secretary’s remarks:
WILBUR ROSS downplays 800k workers missing checks as “a third of a percent on our GDP. So it’s just like it’s a gigantic number.”
ROSS then says this about fed workers going to homeless shelters to get food: “I don’t quite understand why.” Says they should just go take out loans pic.twitter.com/0sOmZGEozD
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 24, 2019
Some responses via Twitter:
I’ve seen billionaire Cabinet Secretary Wilbur Ross padding around the West Wing in custom made velvet loafers adorned with the Commerce Department seal. https://t.co/CMnivpvZzk
— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) January 24, 2019
Wilbur Ross is worth nearly $3 billion. https://t.co/fZqpPxm1sY
— Philip Bump (@pbump) January 24, 2019
Hey Wilbur Ross: Let me explain this to you:
1. @realDonaldTrump shut down the government;
2. That means many federal workers, such as FBI agents & Coast Guard personnel, are working without pay;
3. Food is not free.Get it @SecretaryRoss? https://t.co/SkqEJ8741o
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) January 24, 2019
Thoughts on unpaid federal workers:
"In some sense they're better off."
– Kevin Hassett"It is a little bit of pain but it's going to be for the future of our country."
– Lara Trump"There’s no real reason why they shouldn’t be able to get a loan."
– Wilbur Ross— Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) January 24, 2019
Probably because they don't steal from people like he does. https://t.co/FZuuHKJbRV https://t.co/HcVzt1K54G
— Adam Smith (@asmith83) January 24, 2019
Wilbur Ross claims to be worth $2.9 billion. He’s on his third wife and collects Magritte. https://t.co/zwmWbQB8pd
— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) January 24, 2019
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