ALEXANDRIA Ocasio-Cortez has urged her fellow lawmakers to "pay people to stay home" in order to stop coronavirus from spreading as infections continue to spike nationwide.
The New York City congresswoman blasted Republicans on Thursday for being "mad" at her suggestion, claiming that they "literally voted" to keep US workers home in March.
"To get the virus under control, we need to pay people to stay home," she tweeted.
"Republicans are mad at this when they literally just voted to do just this in March," she added, referencing the one-time $1,200 stimulus checks authorized by Congress earlier this year.
She continued: "The reason they’re opposed to it now is because last time they got a Wall Street bailout and this time all that’s left is helping working people, the disabled, the poor, etc."
Earlier today, the Democrat hit out at one of President Donald Trump's top advisers for suggesting that another Covid relief bill isn't necessary.
Moore, a staunch Trump supporter, said he didn't expect Republicans to meet Democrats' demands for more local and state government aid – a major issue in stimulus talks.
"The economy is not the stock market. We are NOT doing fine," she tweeted.
"People need help in red states and blue, & our job is to help everyone. This is basic."
AOC stressed the dire situation of the US economy, noting that "30 million people" are at risk of eviction and millions of others are unemployed or under employed.
She urged her fellow lawmakers to put aside partisan politics to "help everyone."
Ocasio-Cortez's critique came as a new report revealed that 12 million Americans will lose their unemployment benefits by the end of 2020.
A new analysis by the Century Foundation revealed on Thursday that 12 million workers on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) won't get any aid once funding expires on December 26.
Another four million-plus workers will have already run out of their allotted PEUC benefits by then, according to the report.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday that GOP members are "eager" for a deal, saying that he wants a stimulus bill signed into law "as soon as possible."
He said he hopes for the bill to pass and expects another bill to be pushed through once President-elect Joe Biden takes office in 2021.
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