Watch: Reporter spars with Senate GOP as they complain about unemployed people getting too much money

During a press conference addressing the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, GOP lawmakers mentioned an alleged “drafting error” in the $2 trillion coronavirus spending bill. The lawmakers claim there’s a portion of the bill that incentivizes Americans not to work since the relief package could potentially give them more money than their normal incomes.

In a statement put out before the press conference, Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Ben Sasse (R-NE), said: “A massive drafting error in the current version of the coronavirus relief legislation could have devastating consequences: Unless this bill is fixed, there is a strong incentive for employees to be laid off instead of going to work.”

“This isn’t an abstract, philosophical point — it’s an immediate, real-world problem,” they continued. “If the federal government accidentally incentivizes layoffs, we risk life-threatening shortages in sectors where doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are trying to care for the sick, and where growers and grocers, truckers and cooks are trying to get food to families’ tables.” Continue reading.