Rick Scott says large corporations shouldn’t be part of a coronavirus bailout package

The coronavirus has U.S. senators advocating policies that were unthinkable one week ago.

In a Fox Business op-ed, Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott said Wednesday that large corporations should not receive taxpayer dollars as part of a coronavirus bailout package.

“Politicians in Washington are debating a variety of proposals to use taxpayer dollars to bail out big businesses and stimulate our economy,” Scott wrote. “Let me be clear: we should not bail out large corporations that have enjoyed years of growth and prosperity. I won’t support it. The people that need help the most are small businesses, hourly workers, people who rely on tips, and gig economy workers like Uber and Lyft drivers.”

A $100 billion relief bill that expands paid sick leave and pays for coronavirus testing passed the U.S. Senate 90-8 on Wednesday. Negotiations are already underway for a new coronavirus relief bill being called “Phase Three,” which could come with a price tag as high as $1 trillion and will address, for the first time, the significant financial toll on large industries that have been devastated by the global pandemic.

Airlines are requesting $50 billion in loans and grants, with airports asking for $10 billion to recoup lost revenue. Hotel and tourism CEOs want $150 billion, and cruise ships are also likely to make a specific request for federal assistance in the days or weeks ahead.

Congress will have to balance all of these requests with a desire to also meet the needs of small business owners and individuals who are struggling with layoffs, lack of paid sick leave and lapses in child care.

Scott’s support for workers over the interests of corporations is a departure from policy ideas that Republicans traditionally support, like the 2017 GOP tax bill that cut taxes for corporations and gave a bigger tax cut to the wealthy than middle- and working-class individuals.

Scott and other Senate Republicans who oppose economic relief measures that could be construed as “bailouts” could have an opportunity to influence the negotiations, which will begin in the GOP-controlled Senate in consultation with the White House before Republican leaders loop in Democrats to hammer out a final agreement.

Instead of industry-specific bailouts, Scott is calling for an increase to federal assistance to state unemployment insurance programs, and allow workers who are laid off or have their hours reduced to have immediate access to unemployment benefits.

He also wants a 60-day moratorium on mortgages, rent, fees and utilities for individuals making less than $75,000 a year and small businesses with less than 250 employees. The delayed payments would be postponed and paid out over a period of 12 months.

“The federal government should be a safety net for those who need it most,” Scott wrote. “But even in times of crisis, we can’t forget about fiscal responsibility. We have $23 trillion in debt and trillion-dollar annual deficits, which will have long-term negative impacts on our children and grandchildren. The proposals being debated in Congress right now include giveaways to big corporations, mandates that will shut down small businesses, and policies that I fear won’t help the people that need it most.”

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the coronavirus “requires bold temporary government measures many of us would never support under any other scenario.” Rubio is leading a Senate task force on how to help small businesses, and will release details on a $300 billion small business emergency economic relief plan on Wednesday afternoon.

Last week, the Democratic-controlled House passed a $100 billion measure to provide funding for additional access to COVID-19 tests and expand paid sick leave, among other proposals. The Senate is on Wednesday poised to send that bill to the president to sign into law.

Less than two weeks ago, President Trump signed into law an $8 billion emergency funding bill to address the mounting coronavirus crisis.

Scott is also advocating for mobile coronavirus testing sites in every county in the country by the end of the week and shutting down borders to all foreign travel immediately.

This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 1:22 PM.