Stephen Moore calls Trump's $2k stimulus push 'absurd'
Trump economic adviser warns government is 'spending this money like it's M&M's' on 'The Daily Briefing'
Economist Stephen Moore dismissed the bipartisan push for $2,000 coronavirus stimulus checks as "absurd" on Thursday, defending Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's decision to block the quick action vote on the Senate floor hours earlier.
The co-founder of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity and member of President Trump’s economic recovery task force told "The Daily Briefing" that he does not support the administration's push to increase direct stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000 -- something Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have fiercely supported.
MCCONNELL AGAIN BLOCKS QUICK VOTE OF $2K STIMULUS CHECKS
"Let me first go on record and say, it’s absurd, the $2,000 checks," Moore said.
"I think it’s important to realize, we have spent now, already $2.5 trillion. That’s more money than we collect and income taxes for an entire year. Plus, this would add another $500 billion to the debt," he explained. "Plus, President-elect Biden is now saying he wants another one or $2 trillion dollars stimulus on top of that.
Moore said the U.S. government has been "spending money like it’s M&M's" over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
"It’s not a way to stimulate the economy," he argued, warning, "We are passing these costs onto our children and grandchildren."
McConnell, R-Ky., in floor remarks lambasted the House-passed bill for $2,000 stimulus checks as "socialism for rich people" earlier Thursday. His comments came days after he introduced his own bill for $2,000 stimulus checks, tying them to other Trump priorities: repealing controversial Section 230 liability protections for online platforms and investigating election security. He made no promises that the bill would be considered, only vague comments that the Senate would "begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus."
Moore said McConnell's latest demands are "reasonable," arguing that Americans would benefit more from a safe reopening of the country than from a boosted stimulus check.
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"The best way to help the economy, I would say to all the senators, is to get the jobs back, in states like California, New York that’s destroying restaurants, small businesses, retailers. There is no reason so many of these places are shut down like this," Moore said.
"And by the way," he added, "the ultimate stimulus to the economy is the vaccine."
Fox News' Tyler Olsen contributed to this report.