President Trump is looking to pass a paid sick leave program for workers who become infected with the coronavirus.
“Most important to the president’s heart, we want to make sure that hourly workers, hard-working, blue-collar Americans that may not have paid family leave today … would be afforded the resources to provide paid leave so that no one would feel that they have to go to work if they might be infected or might have been exposed,” Vice President Mike Pence said at a coronavirus task force press briefing Tuesday evening.
Trump went to the Capitol on Tuesday to speak with Senate Republicans about a stimulus package to counteract damage to the economy as the coronavirus outbreak worsens. The administration has floated a payroll tax cut and financial assistance for hourly wage workers, as well as measures targeted to aid specific industries affected by travel restrictions, quarantines, and other effects of the epidemic.
“We can use administration and executive authority to help unpaid sick leave people, which is very important,” National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said at the briefing. He declined to give any more specifics.
Major economic stimulus legislation would require buy-in from Democrats, who control the House of Representatives. Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday to discuss relief.
So far, over 700 coronavirus cases have been confirmed across the U.S., and at least 26 people have died.
“We’re going to work to make sure that hourly workers don’t feel like you have to go to work sick because you’re risking a paycheck,” Pence said. “Get home. Stay home. Take those couple of weeks to get better.”
