Representative Robert Aderholt (R-AL) sees the federal government’s effort to tackle the coronavirus threat as something you might see in a “wartime scenario.” Therefore, it should be approached with a similar sort of vigor as an act of war by a hostile nation.
During an interview that aired on Huntsville, AL radio’s WVNN this week, he made the comparison arguing the present was not the time to worry about “pinching pennies.”
“This is sort of like in a time of war — you don’t worry about pinching pennies if you think you might lose the war,” he said. “And this really is like a wartime scenario where we have a war on the coronavirus. If we’re being attacked by some other country where they’re coming directly at us, we’re worried about saving lives and saving the country.”
The Alabama Republican congressman also acknowledged a level of cooperation between the two sides in the House of Representatives in the battle against the pandemic.
“I think there is a lot more bipartisanship right now,” Aderholt said. “I mean, you still have some sparring, a little bit. I know the president and some of the governors have had a little bit of sparring. But by and large, things are a lot better. I think that’s one positive thing that’s come out of this is a little more bipartisanship with it. And hopefully, this will be something that can continue. Obviously, that’s the type of system we’re built on, where we have the parties spar with each other because that is what you want.”
“Instead of us having a system where other countries that are shooting people, and they’re killing people and assassinating people — we have those discussions where we publicly disagree about issues,” he continued. “But at the end of the day, nobody is bleeding in the streets and things like that. You know, there’s a certain amount where there needs to be some disagreement between the parties because they protect each other, and make sure one party is not dominating. But at the same time — at the end of the day, in situations like this, we all have to come together.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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