Capitalism enables us to live the American dream, Democratic lawmaker says

Capitalism versus socialism is taking center stage with the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.

New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew (D) told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo that he is a proud capitalist who wants to ensure all Americans can strive for the American dream.

“I’m a capitalist. I’m proud to be a capitalist, and I like to have a little fun with it. But I’m a compassionate capitalist. There is a place for government. We want to make sure that people don’t fall through the cracks,” he said on Thursday. “This is not just laissez faire (a policy of letting things take their own course without interfering). However, we’ve got to make sure that this economic engine that has taken so many of us to such good places in so many ways, is even expanding more and even takes more of us, and enables us to live the American dream.”

This comes after Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has introduced new legislation that would make it easier to criminally charge corporate executives and put them behind bars for a company’s wrongdoing. The Corporate Executive Accountability Act would expand criminal liability to CEOs who have negligently caused harm.

“If they’ve done something truly wrong, truly hurtful, and truly illegal, then there can be some truth to that, but I don’t necessarily love a full-fledged attack that’s occurring in certain sectors on business in general. That business is bad, that the capitalistic system is bad, that we should change the whole plain field,” Drew said on “Mornings with Maria.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP 

Warren has continued to pusher her proposals to break up massive technology companies as well as put forward a wealth tax on the country’s billionaires. Some have called this a war on business and capitalism.