Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, said the United States must shut down all but essential businesses and government agencies to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“The time has come for extraordinary measures to combat the Chinese coronavirus,” Cotton said in a series of tweets Monday. “What seems extreme today will seem obvious tomorrow.”
Cotton, chairman of the economic policy subcommittee of the Senate Banking Committee, said he is drafting legislation that would give “cash stipends” to workers and their families affected by the coronavirus and related shutdowns, “so they can buy food and pay the bills during this crisis.” The bill would also help small and mid-sized businesses, Cotton said.
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The Arkansas senator isn’t the first Republican to float a stipend proposal to help Americans weather the economic slowdown prompted by the coronavirus’s spread. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney earlier Monday proposed giving every American adult a $1,000 check “to help ensure families and workers can meet their short-term obligations and increase spending in the economy,” he said in a statement.
The proposals are an indication that some Senate Republicans are looking to bolster federal assistance to help stabilize the economy even beyond what legislation passed by the House earlier Saturday morning lays out. That legislation is the result of negotiations between House Democrats, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the White House. President Trump backs the bill.
Cotton, in a series of tweets, said the U.S. needs to essentially shut down all businesses and government agencies that aren’t essential.
“Call it what you want — a shutdown, quarantine, curfew, whatever. But only absolutely essential work should continue: groceries, pharmacies, supply transport, health care, electricity, water, sanitation, etc,” Cotton said. “Everyone else should stay home.”
Cotton also said the U.S. military “must prepare for defense support of civil authorities, especially at hospitals, nursing homes, etc.,” The military should help increase the U.S. medical system’s capacity to treat patients, he added.
