- Economic adviser Stephen Moore said he was “not so sure we need this huge stimulus bill” with $ 2,000 checks on the line.
- After Congress finally passed the second coronavirus stimulation package, which included $ 600 checks, President Donald Trump called on lawmakers to reach an agreement on $ 2,000 checks for Americans.
- Economic recovery is not dependent on the stimulus, Moore suggested.
- “We just need to get the vaccine,” he said. “And we need to open the businesses in New York and Los Angeles and Chicago and San Francisco.”
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Stephen Moore, an economic adviser to President Donald Trump, argues, according to The Hill, against a ‘massive stimulus bill’.
In an interview with businessman John Catsimatidis in his radio program WABC 770 AM, Moore said that the recovery of the economy is not dependent on the pandemic legal aid package. It will recover “without all these government expenditures”, according to The Hill.
“I’m not so sure we need this massive stimulus bill,” Moore said. “We just need to get the vaccine. And we need to open the businesses in New York City and Los Angeles and Chicago and San Francisco.”
Implementation of the vaccine began in mid-December, immediately after Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine received approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
But only about 3.5 million doses were then given. Business Insider’s Susie Neilson reported earlier that vaccination of vaccines was slower than expected, and at this rate it would take nine years to be vaccinated widely.
In December, after months of negotiations and delays, lawmakers finally reached an agreement on another coronavirus stimulation package. It received $ 600 direct checks for taxpayers, in an effort to compensate for the financial devastation of the coronavirus pandemic. It was the second aid package since March, when Trump signed a bill that included $ 1,200 direct payments to Americans.
Since the second bill, Trump has called on Congress to reach an agreement that includes $ 2,000 checks for Americans. House Democrats immediately looked at the proposal, but Senate leader Mitch McConnell repeatedly shut it down. Friday marks the fourth day in a row that Senate Republicans, led by McConnell, have included the bill passed by the House, which includes $ 2,000 checks.
This is not the first time Moore has broken up with Trump. Earlier this week, Moore said the government was “spending money as if it were M & Ms” with the $ 2000 push.
“Let me go on record first and say, it’s absurd, the $ 2,000 checks,” Moore said. “This is not a way to stimulate the economy,” he argued, warning, “we pass on these costs to our children and grandchildren.”
Moore’s remarks also contradict the warnings of Fed Chairman Jay Powell, who said in October that the economy could falter if another stimulus package does not get through Congress.
“Too little support will lead to a poor recovery, which will cause unnecessary hardship to households and businesses,” Powell said in a speech. Powell has repeatedly urged Congress to tackle a stimulus package to help the economy recover from the devastation caused by the coronavirus.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on Moore’s comments.