Socialist freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) declared on Thursday that lawmakers should consider a “no-strings” universal basic income as part of a relief package to counter the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Some are taking about unemployment insurance, & while good it’s not nearly enough,” AOC wrote on Twitter. “There are enormous sectors of our economy (tipped workers, freelance, shift workers) who may not be ‘unemployed’ but whose lives are still dramatically disrupted to the point of eviction, etc.”
“Right about now would be a great time to weigh emergency measures” such as extending Medicare/Medicaid to all, eviction freezes, “no-strings UBI programs, “eliminating work requirements for SNAP & other assistance,” and “humanitarian provisions in prisons & decarceral policies.”
As Obama-era Chief of Staff Rahm Emanual said, “Never let a serious crisis go to waste,” and Democrats like AOC are exploiting the coronavirus to push their agendas.