In a scare time where many are uncertain about the future, American’s put their trust into congress to put together a stimulus package that could help get the economy back on the right track after the hits it has taken over the last several weeks due to coronavirus fears. Unfortunately, some lawmakers on the left saw this as an opportunity to further their own agenda by including legislation that would never stand a chance on its own.
One of the most blatant examples of this came from the Socialist Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, who threatened to hold up the passage of the Senate’s version of the stimulus bill if he were not allowed to include language that would increase unemployment benefits far beyond what had already been deemed appropriate.
Fortunately, Senator Lindsey Graham was quick to call out Sanders and the Democrats for their unethical behavior. Senator Graham tweeted:
“Only in Senator Bernie Sanders world does it make sense to pay people more NOT to work than TO work. I am all for making peoples salaries whole. However, I am not for increasing people’s salaries through the unemployment insurance system.”
In another tweet, Graham responded directly to Sander’s threat to stall passage of the stimulus bill, stating:
“This proposal will make it hard for our employers to maintain their workforce, particularly in the area of healthcare, thus, significantly delaying the economic recovery and impairing our health and safety. Simple Fix: Cap unemployment benefits at full salary before the crisis.”
Due to pressure from Senator Graham and his GOP colleagues, Sanders eventually caved and allowed the bill to proceed, but we must never forget that Socialist Bernie Sanders was willing to play political games and stall a relief bill while Americans were suffering through a crisis!