Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) argued Wednesday on Fox News to “go big” on a response to the threat coronavirus poses to the American economy.
The South Carolina Republican argued the cost could be much more if some type of intervention is not taken by the federal government, arguing it was the price of “containment.”
“The bottom line is, I have been on the Hill all day,” he said. “I haven’t seen this kind of spirit since 9/11. Everybody is looking at each other as an ally, not a foe. People in America, you begin to see the best of the country, the young lady on the show before delivering food to elderly people, allowing seniors to shop ahead of everybody else in grocery stores. It’s going to take that kind of spirit to defeat this. But here’s the problem. Eighty percent of the workforce is going to be impacted by the containment policies.”
“The money we’re spending to deal with healthcare is going to pale in comparison with the money we spend to stabilize the economy,” Graham added. “If you have been laid off today in South Carolina from a bar or a restaurant or a hotel, I’m looking to make sure that we have wage replacement, that we replace your income as much as possible so that you don’t have your life turned upside down. That’s the number one goal of phase three for me.”
The expensive policy, according to Graham, was the cost of containing coronavirus.
“We’re buying containment,” he said. “Everything I have just talked to you about is the price of containment. Shutting every bar and restaurant down in South Carolina is the cost of containment. We either pay now as a country, or we pay later. And what do we do until we turn the corner? And what would turning the corner look like? A week where you had less infections than the week prior when therapies are in place to reduce the mortality rate.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.