WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2019) US federal workers affected by the ongoing government shutdown should get loans instead of going to food banks, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said on Thursday.
"I know they are [going to food banks] and I don't really quite understand why because as I mentioned before, the obligations that they would undertake - say borrowing from a bank or credit union - are in effect federally guaranteed," Ross said in an interview on CNBC. "So the 30 days of pay that people will be out - there's no real reason why they shouldn't be able to get a loan against it and we've seen a number of ads from the financial institutions doing that."
Ross added that banks and credit union are offering interest-free loans to federal workers impacted by the shutdown in order to help cover all or part of their paychecks.
The secretary's comments drew swift criticism from Democratic lawmakers, many of whom noted that Ross amassed a personal fortune before assuming public office.
"Billionaires like Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and [President Donald] Trump may not get it, but it's not complicated. Federal employees go to food banks because they have to feed their kids and they can't do that without a paycheck," Senator Bernie Sanders wrote in a Twitter post.
In a separate Twitter post, Senator Chuck Schumer also made of Ross' fortune, and called the secretary's remarks "unreal."
This Friday federal workers are slated to miss their second paycheck since the government shutdown began on December 22.
The Department of Labor said in a press release on Thursday that that unemployment insurance claims filed by former federal employees totaled 25,419 on January 12, a spike from 14,965 after the first week of the month.
The US federal government has been partially shut down due to a funding dispute between US Trump and congressional Democrats. Trump has asked Congress to authorize $5.7 billion to build a wall along the US border with Mexico, but Democrats have refused to meet the demand.
