Varney rips US government over coronavirus action: 'Get on with it'
The government should 'respond appropriately'
FOX Business’ Stuart Varney, in his latest “My Take,” argues that Congress needs to pick up the pace on a deal regarding the coronavirus and American welfare, upon its one-week recess beginning Friday.
“Yes, you heard that right,” Varney said. “In the middle of a crisis, our political leaders leave Washington.”
Varney said he can’t imagine what would happen if the Congress recesses before action is taken on the virus. But “at least they are talking,” he added.
VARNEY: CORONAVIRUS AN ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, HEALTH CHALLENGE
There are options on the table, Varney said, that would satisfy all parties including paid sick leave, a suspension for FICA contributions, money for “sidelined” hourly workers, an extension for the tax deadline and a bailout for cruise lines and airlines.
“All of the above are under discussion,” he said. “A deal is needed. Get on with it.”
Kirkland Fire and Rescue ambulance workers walk back to a vehicle after a patient was loaded into an ambulance, Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., near Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
On Wednesday morning, the U.K. began pumping “hundreds of billions of dollars” into their economy, Varney said, and are ushering banks to make “dirt cheap loans.”
“Today, [Britain] took such radical and quick action, it was like a signal to us: get on with it,” he said. “They're treating the virus the way they treated the financial crisis – with urgency and attention.”
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In Varney's opinion, the coronavirus should be treated like a natural disaster and the government should “respond appropriately.”
“The people who have been hurt through no fault of their own should get help,” he said. “That’s what the government can and should do. Get on with it.”