Sen. Sherrod Brown inquires of Treasury’s Steven Mnuchin: ‘How many workers should give their lives to increase the GDP or the Dow Jones by a thousand points?’
Published: May 19, 2020 at 2:01 p.m. ET
By Victor Reklaitis and
Greg Robb
‘No workers should give their lives to do that, Mr. Senator, and I think your characterization is unfair,’ the Treasury secretary responds
‘How many workers should give their lives to increase the GDP or the Dow Jones by a thousand points?’
— Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio
That line came from Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio in a tense exchange on Tuesday with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin over efforts to reopen the U.S. economy after lockdowns triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Brown said he was hearing from experts that it was not safe to reopen the economy until there were better worker protections, including more testing, contact tracing and protective equipment. The senator said President Donald Trump has failed to lead the country on these matters.
“No workers should give their lives to do that, Mr. Senator, and I think your characterization is unfair,†Mnuchin responded. “We have provided enormous amounts of equipment. We’ve worked with the governors. We’ve done a terrific job of getting ...â€
Brown then cut off Mnuchin, saying he wouldn’t let the Treasury boss “make a political speech.†Their exchange came during a virtual Senate hearing on relief programs.
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https://www.marketwatch.com/story/sen-sherrod-brown-goes-after-treasurys-steven-mnuchin-how-many-workers-should-give-their-lives-to-increase-the-gdp-or-the-dow-jones-by-a-thousand-points-2020-05-19
