Associated Press
President Donald Trump listens as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, April 13, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appeared to suggest that coronavirus stimulus payments could last people 10 weeks.
- A misleading tweet of his comments went viral, and lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were quick to pile on.
- Mnuchin, a former investment banker with a net worth of $400 million, has long been accused of being out-of-touch.
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President Donald Trump's appointed head of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, is under fire for comments he made Wednesday in which he appeared to suggest the $1,200 stimulus payments could last people up to 10 weeks.
"I think the entire package provides economic relief overall for about 10 weeks," Mnuchin told CBS' Face the Nation. "Hopefully we will kill this virus quicker and we won't need it, but we have liquidity to put into the American economy to support American workers and American business."
His comments likely referred to the entire $2 trillion relief package passed by Congress in March, which also provided more flexible requirements for unemployment benefits, bailouts and loans to large corporations, as well as loans to small businesses to continue paying their workers. That small business program ran out of funding Thursday as lawmakers debate if further stimulus is required.
Still, the fury came quick from those who heard the former Goldman Sachs executive's comments as implying the direct payments could last for more than two months, equating to about $17 per day.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, chimed in Thursday morning with an "Arrested Development" reference.
"It's your monthly rent, Michael. What could is cost? $10?" she said, channeling Lucille Bluth, the TV show's wealthy-yet-out-of-touch matriarch who, in one famous instance, massively overestimates the cost of one banana.
Others criticized the amount as too small, pointing to the higher amounts and frequencies of payments by other developed nations.
Mnuchin, who has an estimated net worth of $400 million, is no stranger to accusations of being out-of-touch with the reality of American workers. Military documents reported on by Politico in 2018 showed the secretary racked up some $1 million worth of flight hours for trips that usually would have seen someone in his position flying commercial. And in 2017, a photo of Mnuchin and celebrity wife Louise Linton showing off freshly printed $1 bills went viral.
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"It's your monthly rent, Michael. What could it cost? $10?" https://t.co/Bc0wdzVk0J
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 16, 2020Australia: $1993 a month
Canada: $1,433 a month
Denmark: Up to $3,288 a month
France: Up to $7,575 a month
Germany: Up to $7,326.78 a month
Ireland: Up to $1793.44 a month
UK: Up to $3,084 a month
U.S.: $1,200 to last for 10 weeks
"It's really bridge liquidity" - Steve Mnuchin https://t.co/IrUS04g4WB
- Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 16, 2020Steve Mnuchin owns at least 6 houses and is worth $400 million according to Forbes.
Yet he says $1200 is enough for people for 10 weeks. 🧐 https://t.co/S15rAaGxcQ
- Katie Hill (@KatieHill4CA) April 16, 2020