US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to unpaid federal workers: let them get loans during government shutdown
- Ross, a billionaire, is bewildered by unpaid workers seeking charity during the ongoing federal government shutdown
- Many of his own employees have not been paid for weeks, and he thinks they should seek loans
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Thursday said he did not understand why federal workers were visiting food banks during the government shutdown, saying they should instead seek low-interest loans from banks and credit unions to supplement their lost wages.
“I know they are, and I don’t really quite understand why,” Ross said on CNBC when asked about federal workers going to food banks. Ross is a billionaire and long-time friend of US President Donald Trump.
“The idea that it’s paycheck or zero is not a really valid idea,” he said. “There’s no reason why some institution wouldn’t be willing to lend.”
Ross leads one of the agencies that is directly affected by the shutdown, and many of his employees have not been paid for weeks.
The White House is working to quell a growing anger among the 800,000 federal workers who are expected to miss their second paycheck this week, as many have begun calling in sick or refusing to show up for work.
The Trump administration has scrambled to try to deflect the impact of the shutdown on the economy, but they have done this in part by requiring thousands of unpaid federal workers to continue doing their jobs.
