Whoopi Goldberg lashed out Thursday at South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham after he criticized provisions in the latest coronavirus relief package.
Goldberg and “The View” cohost Sunny Hostin discussed extended unemployment benefits — and Graham’s criticism of those benefits — with former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich. (RELATED: Sunny Hostin Tries To Bait Mark Cuban — He Refuses To Throw Trump ‘Under The Bus’)
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Hostin began the conversation by noting that the Senate had unanimously passed the $2 trillion stimulus bill and adding, “Several Republican senators are worried unemployment benefits will be so enticing that people will stop working. Senator Graham even implied that the benefits would incentivize well-trained nurses to stay home and collect a check. Are you concerned?”
“As a practical matter, you have to — as I understand it, there’s one part of this where you can actually make more money not working,” Gingrich replied. “That’s not a very good incentive, and, you know —”
“That’s so disrespectful,” Goldberg interrupted.
Gingrich went on to say that he thought it was important that the Senate had passed the measure unanimously, and that even if there were things that weren’t “quite right” they could be fixed as the provisions were implemented.
“Get it to the president,” Gingrich continued. “I hope he’ll sign it tomorrow night or Saturday morning because the country needs to have a — feel that we are — we as a country can move and we can get things done. This is the third bill in a row they have passed now in three or four weeks which is a good sign. I think we have to take a deep breath, evaluate all this —”
“This man should be ashamed of himself,” Goldberg interrupted again.
“It just seems to me the suggestion that nurses who are on the front line are not going to work and sacrifice the way that they have because they’re going to be making a few hundred dollars more is ludicrous, but that’s just my opinion,” Hostin added.
“It’s insulting. It’s insulting. Lindsey Graham should be ashamed of himself to say something like that. In the middle of all of this,” Goldberg concluded.
Graham was one of several Republican senators who opposed provisions that would increase unemployment benefits to the point that some Americans would actually be paid more to stay home than they would to continue working.
Only in Senator @BernieSanders world does it make sense to pay people more NOT to work than TO work.
I am all for making peoples salaries whole. However, I am not for increasing people’s salary through the unemployment insurance system. https://t.co/Kc3JfB42TX
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 25, 2020
“Only in Senator @BernieSanders world does it make sense to pay people more NOT to work than TO work,” Graham tweeted. “I am all for making peoples salaries whole. However, I am not for increasing people’s salary through the unemployment insurance system.”