Sunday on MSNBC, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton called President Donald Trump’s executive orders addressing the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic a “stunt.”
Clinton said, “It’s a stunt. There’s no doubt about it. Most likely, as even Republican senators have said, unconstitutional, bypassing Congress, trying to spend money, he has no authority to direct. But it’s also meant to be a big diversion from the hard work the Congress should be engaged in to provide the kind of relief that tens of millions of Americans need. We are still in the midst of this pandemic. Sadly, we didn’t take the steps for long enough to try to bend the curve, except in a few places around the country, so we’re still coping with it. And we can’t act like it is back to normal. People are still unemployed in great numbers. Small businesses have been shuttered, are gasping for help. so the Congress needs to act.”
She added, “But I think there was something else very significant in what Trump did the other day. Basically, he signaled that he is going after Social Security and Medicare. I don’t know if he understood that. You never know what he knows and doesn’t know about how the government operates. But basically, he was talking about ending the financial contributions we all make into Social Security and Medicare through the payroll tax. So, yes, it was a stunt, most likely unconstitutional. He doesn’t really have the authority to do what he tried. But he sent a signal to voters that, you know, if you were unfortunately unlucky enough to have him be president again, you can watch what he is going to do to social security and medicare. It’s going to hurt not just elderly Americans but every American.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN