Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang praised President Trump for proposing to offer Americans financial relief in response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying his team is in contact with the White House and is “eager to offer” resources.
“I’m pleased to see the White House adopt our vision of putting money directly into the hands of hard-working Americans,” Yang said in a statement posted on Twitter. “It’s unfortunate to see this development take place under the current circumstances, but this is exactly what Universal Basic Income is designed to do — offer a way to ensure that Americans can make ends meet when they need it most.”
“I look forward to monitoring the developments of the White House as they consider methods of distribution, and both me and my team are eager to offer our support to ensure this process runs as smoothly as possible,” Yang added.
At Tuesday’s Coronavirus Task Force, Mnuchin said the administration wants to send checks to Americans within the next two weeks as part of a huge bailout package.
“We’re looking at sending checks to Americans immediately,” Mnuchin told reporters. “What we heard from hardworking Americans, many companies are now shut down whether bars or restaurants, Americans need cash now and the president wants to get them cash now. I mean now in the next two weeks.
The stimulus is designed to help Americans cope with the economic disruption brought on by the coronavirus outbreak. Sen. Mitt Romney(R-UT) proposed on Monday the idea of giving every Americans $1,000 to help meet financial obligations.
During his presidential run, Yang signature proposal, branded “Freedom Dividend,” which is now known as Universal Basic Income was the central theme of his campaign. He called for every American adult to receive $1,000 a month to cover basic needs and help them deal with the changing economy.
“Our team reached out and said ‘hey, would love to be able to help.’ And they said, ‘well we would love any resources you have,’” Yang said on CNN shortly after the press conference. “Obviously, this is a crisis and we all need to pull together to try to keep the country strong and whole. I will say that the studies are uniformly positive that it makes us not just able to pay our bills, but it makes stronger, healthier, mentally healthier, improves our public trust and our trust in each other. That’s exactly what we need in this time.”
Yang also said that “giving cash into American families’ hands is 100% the right move” and is “thrilled they’re doing the right thing.”
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