Commentary: The pinnacle of hypocrisy is being exhibited by Congressional Republicans.
In 2017, they passed nearly $2 trillion in tax cuts mostly benefiting the wealthy and corporations that largely ended up in the hands of billionaires--but cannot vote for the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 Economic Relief bill that primarily benefits lower income folks, who suffered the most from the pandemic.
They argue it will increase the debt, it's not focused, will create inflation, and is not needed. Where were those arguments in 2017? Can it be they do not give a darn about wage earners who work at a grocery store or educators who teach online and have kids at home because of the pandemic; restaurant and hotel workers who lost their jobs; small business owners that went bankrupt; or anyone who is not privileged?Employment has come back some, but there are still about 10 million unemployed because of the pandemic and about 4 to 5 million who dropped out of the workforce. Therefore, there is plenty of labor available for the economy to expand to prevent serious wage hikes that cause inflation. There may be short-term supply shortages like computer chips or containers for shipping, but not enough to create serious price hikes.
Over 50% of the workforce has not benefitted from the increased stock market, because their wages have not kept up with the cost of living the last 40 years and they cannot afford to set aside money for their children education or retirement.
Many live on the edge and do not have enough money for an emergency like a car breakdown or major health issues. Effective unions have all but disappeared, service jobs like Uber drivers or Walmart clerks have taken over factory jobs and rural America has become a job desert.
National minimum wage has been at $7.25 for 12 years—well below the poverty wage.
Congressional Republicans are not meeting the needs of the majority of American workers who will benefit from the Covid-19 Economic Relief bill.
They focus on emotional issues like religious beliefs, white grievances, voter suppression and removing Dr. Seuss books.