Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is under fire for declaring in a lengthy House speech the Republicans’ “top priority” during the coronavirus pandemic is to keep people at work.
Many latched on to his remarks, made just before the House passed the Senate’s $2 trillion coronavirus package, which will now be sent to President Donald Trump’s desk.
“Our top priority is to keep Americans at work,” McCarthy told his socially-distancing colleagues in the House chamber.
Many felt Congress’ top priority under the coronavirus crisis should be keeping people alive, and hopefully healthy – not working, especially as the President and Republicans look for ways to “relax” social distancing and stay at home policies, which will only lead to more people becoming infected, and dying.
But that wasn’t McCarthy’s only concerning comment.
“We all saw that tragic news this week: 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits,” he said during his oratory.
Some also saw this as dereliction of duty. The tragedy to many is that people are dying, not that they are getting unemployment benefits.
Here’s how many are responding: