WASHINGTON – In a Fox Business interview yesterday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that the Wuhan coronavirus, an illness that has killed 107 people in China and infected thousands more, “will help” bring jobs back to the United States faster as it hinders business operations in affected areas abroad. Restore Public Trust released the following statement in response:
“Time and again, Wilbur Ross has proven that his interests lie in enriching himself, not in serving and supporting real people,” said Lizzy Price, director of Restore Public Trust. “Ross didn’t understand why furloughed government workers’ missed paychecks could be disastrous for their families, and when faced with a deadly disease outbreak, he was more concerned with making money off of worldwide fears than with public health. Americans deserve better than a commerce secretary who sees people as pawns in a game to fatten his wallet.”
In January 2019, Secretary Ross said he doesn’t “quite understand” why furloughed federal workers who missed paychecks due to the government shutdown were struggling to feed and house their families, and suggested they simply “get a loan” to cover the costs of basic necessities.
Ross also has a history of shipping thousands of jobs overseas before his work at the Department of Commerce, hurting American manufacturing. In total, over 11,000 workers were laid off at companies Ross controlled, companies off of which Ross and his investors made billions. More on Ross’s disastrous history of laying off American workers is available at JobLossRoss.com.
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