Commerce Secretary and grifter Wilbur Ross (net worth: $440 million — or maybe $2.9 billion) expressed puzzlement over why unpaid federal workers need to go to food banks during the Trump government shutdown when they could get loans. Perhaps they can use their art collections as collateral. It’s true that the Commerce Department Credit Union offers loans to unpaid federal employees — at nearly 9 percent interest. What GS-4 wouldn’t jump at that?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has some thoughts on the secretary’s comments:
Something else Secretary Ross doesn’t understand: Federal contractors outnumber federal employees. They’re out of work too, and contractors won’t be getting back pay.
Trump appointee Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, claimed furloughed employees should be grateful for the free vacation. Former Fox commentator Larry Kudlow, now Trump’s National Economic Council Director, said that essential federal employees working without pay are volunteering out of allegiance to President Trump. “It is a little bit of pain,” said Trump 2020 campaign adviser and presidential daughter-in-law Lara Trump of the 800,000 unpaid federal workers, “but it’s going to be for the future of our country, and their children and their grandchildren and generations after them will thank them for their sacrifice.”
Updates:
“Trump: Unpaid federal workers should just go ask grocery stores for free food,” BoingBoing
“Donald Trump Has No Idea How Grocery Stores Work,” Sarah Jones, New York Magazine
“White House Tips for Surviving the Shutdown,” Joshua M. Brown, The Reformed Broker
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Image (“Wilbur Ross Official Portrait”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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Tags: Commerce, Commerce Department, Department of Commerce, federal shutdown, food banks, furloughed workers, inequality, Kevin Hassett, Lara Trump, let them eat cake, out of touch, plutocracy, politics, the one percent, Trump Administration, Trump shutdown, Trump tantrum, Wilbur Ross
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