Job Creators Network (JCN) President Alfredo Ortiz told Breitbart News Saturday that if Republicans want to hold the White House, they cannot “cave” to Democrats on the next coronavirus package.
Ortiz spoke to Breitbart News Saturday host Matthew Boyle as Congress and the Donald Trump administration continue to negotiate on a potential coronavirus package. Ortiz said that he remains concerned that Democrats continue to push for policies, such as the extension of a $600 per week unemployment, that make it harder to put Americans back to work.
He told Breitbart News Saturday, “I’m most concerned about, first of all, is an extension of the unemployment benefits of $600 per week extra. From day one that has been a perversion of our labor system, really of the labor market. It basically incentivizes people to stay at home and sit on their butts, basically on their couches and not work. And that has been tremendously difficult for our Main Street small businesses across America. They can’t get people to work, because they’re making more by sitting than they are by working.”
Instead of providing unemployment benefits that could discourage Americans from going back to work, Ortiz said that Congress should pursue “employment assurance,” which would provide credits for workers and businesses to keep Americans working.
Ortiz added that he wants Congress to pass a payroll tax cut, which would help small businesses and workers. He said, “We would love to see the payroll tax cut, and we’ve been surgical in our discussions since almost the COVID discussions hit. We put out a national ad on a payroll tax cut holiday for employers of 120 or less, so very surgical and focus on small businesses.”
Boyle noted that a payroll tax cut could act as an almost eight percent raise. He added that former President Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and other prominent Democrats supported a payroll tax cut during the 2008 financial crisis to help boost the economy. However, many Democrats have soured on a payroll tax cut during the current coronavirus bill negotiations.
President Trump has signaled that he will not sign another coronavirus package if it did not include a payroll tax cut.
Ortiz said that for “political reasons,” Democrats want to avoid pushing for policies that would boost the economy ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Ortiz said that a lower unemployment rate would help Trump ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
“I believe the unemployment rate is going to be one of the most significant visible numbers that your average consumers are going to look at and determine who they’re going to vote for,” Ortiz said.
“If they want to hold the White House, they cannot cave on the extension of the unemployment benefits,” he said.
Breitbart News Saturday airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
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