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“How many workers should give their lives to raise GDP or the Dow Jones by a thousand points?”
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This line came from Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio in a tense exchange Tuesday with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about efforts to reopen the US economy. United States After the blockages caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Brown said he heard experts say it was not safe to reopen the economy until there were better protections for workers, including more testing, contact tracing and protective equipment. The senator said that President Donald Trump has failed to lead the country in these areas.
“No worker should give his life to do this, senator, and I think his qualification is unfair,” said Mnuchin. “We have provided huge amounts of equipment. We worked with the governors. We did a great job for … “
Brown then cut Mnuchin, saying he would not let the head of the Treasury “give a political speech”. Their exchange took place during a virtual hearing of the Senate on aid programs.
Read more:Powell and Mnuchin testify to coronavirus relief – Live Blog
And see:Mnuchin and Powell face Senate questions on coronavirus loan programs
Dow Jones industrial average
DJIA
It traded in red Tuesday after the main American stock market indicators. United States They closed sharply higher on Monday. The Dow Jones has declined 14% year-to-date, but the benchmark has recovered from a March low.
Trump said the economy needs to get back on track, and states continue to lift restrictions on business and personal activities imposed about two months ago to combat the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease .
In Ohio’s home state of Brown, offices, warehouses, manufacturers and construction companies reopened on May 4. Retailers and service companies were able to open on May 12, according to the MarketWatch report on movements from various states.
More broadly, Brown said he was outraged that the majority leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, held the Senate in session for three weeks, demanding that legislative staff, police and the Capitol cafeteria and guards and others show up for work against public health boards, while he and his Republican colleagues pursue their own priorities in the Senate, not the needs of American families and communities.
The Kentucky Republican sees no urgency in responding to the latest demands caused by the pandemic, Brown said, “These are his words: there is no emergency.”
Now read:Coronavirus update: death toll in the United States United States exceeds 90,000