Shouldn't Our Elected Representatives Be on the Job Providing Essential Services?

Published on
Saturday, April 18, 2020
by Common Dreams

Some lawmakers want a remote Congress so they can remain AWOL and pretend to deal with the many crises remotely.

by Ralph Nader



In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic a careening, confused president is fibbing, flailing, breaking laws, and mishandling money. As the domino effect of this crisis mounts, the public is asking: "Where is the Congress?" Our senators and representatives have been home since March 20 and won't be back until May 4, not on the job inside the Capitol. Shameful!

Worse, some lawmakers want a remote Congress so they can remain AWOL and pretend to deal with the many crises remotely.

Why? Fear of the pandemic? Escaping rollcall responsibility? No matter that Congress can follow all the CDC guidelines and more for personal protection. No matter that millions of essential workers—some a few blocks from Congress, bravely go to work to perform their critical duties. Healthcare, transit, grocery, police, maintenance and sanitation workers, many executive branch civil servants, and others are faithfully on the job.

Congress should be working harder than ever—6 days a week, not its usual 2.5 days. Congress should be monitoring the spending of trillions of dollars it approved for recovery, and passing improved rescue legislation that puts the people first. Congress should also be anticipating and preventing the ugly greed of commercial lobbyists who will cravenly push for more giveaways for their fat-cat big-business clients. The devil is in the details and in the fine print of new and upcoming bills. Scams, gouging, waste, and corruption are exploding already in a corporate crimewave while the president pulls the federal cops off their beats.

More:
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/04/18/shouldnt-our-elected-representatives-be-job-providing-essential-services?fbclid=IwAR0uORCJF3z4yPcs1g_mx3CVJeh3tZd8BBnOJZR2GrKkRUJI7jY2K_N7clo