Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., said Wednesday that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., misstepped by adding an amendment to a coronavirus bill, saying the country must focus on "repelling this Asian invader."
The Senate failed to pass a legislative package responding to the coronavirus outbreak Tuesday after Paul added an amendment to one bill that would require a Social Security number for anyone receiving aid and to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the year.
"I just don't think this is the time and place to get off track and debate other issues," Hill told Newsmax TV's "American Agenda" on Wednesday. "There are many challenges facing America around the world from North Korea to Iran, to extricating a peace deal with the Taliban, but this isn't the time to be dealing with it.
"We need to be focused as one country in repelling this Asian invader of the coronavirus."
The congressman said his state has 22 cases confirmed so far, and praised the proposed stimulus bill as an "economic defense package" rather than a "stimulus package," comparing the COVID-19 outbreak to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
"I think of this in a 9/11 context as opposed to an economic financial crisis," Hill said. "This is all about repelling this invader, tackling it, and getting things back to normal as soon as possible.
"So, I tend to think of it as an economic defense package as opposed to a stimulus package. We're talking about economic preservation."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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