Ted Cruz slammed for telling unemployed Americans to 'get a job' as unemployment benefits expire: 'What do you do again?'
As several million jobless Americans braced for the loss of COVID-enhanced unemployment benefits on Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) only had one suggestion for them: get a job.
On Tuesday, September 7, the Republican lawmaker shared a link to a new ABC News report on the 8.9 million Americans impacted by the expiration of enhanced unemployment. With the article, Cruz tweeted, "Um, get a job? There are millions of vacancies, and small businesses across the Nation are desperate for workers."
Um, get a job?\n\nThere are millions of vacancies, and small businesses across the Nation are desperate for workers.https://twitter.com/abc3340/status/1435018899007881217\u00a0\u2026— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1630985688
It did not take long for Twitter users to fire back at the Texas lawmaker. Some also reminded the senator that his salary and benefits are a rare commodity considering the effort he puts forth. One user wrote, "What do you do again? Other than ignore your constituents while they freeze to death to vacation in Cancun and incite insurrections that kill people, injure hundreds, nearly end democracy and make you a traitor that's constitutionally ineligible to remain in office?"
What do you do again? Other than ignore your constituents while they freeze to death to vacation in Cancun and incite insurrections that kill people, injure hundreds, nearly end democracy and make you a traitor that\u2019s constitutionally ineligible to remain in office?— Andrew Wortman \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Andrew Wortman \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1630985854
Another user wrote, "How about you set an example and start earning your pay by working on legislation in committee instead of spending all your time insulting working people on Twitter?"
How about you set an example and start earning your pay by working on legislation in committee instead of spending all your time insulting working people on Twitter?— Wiggles of Weimar (@Wiggles of Weimar) 1630987358
Referring to Cruz's impromptu trip to Mexico during the bitter winter storm that wrecked Texas in February, another user tweeted, "Do you know any jobs where you can take your family on vacation while the people you're supposed to be serving are in the middle of a crisis?"
Do you know any jobs where you can take your family on vacation while the people you're supposed to be serving are in the middle of a crisis?— certified melon boy (@certified melon boy) 1631025485
Ted Cruz tweets all day and flees to Cancun but wants you to work two part-time jobs at a poverty wage. \n\nBy saying "get a job" he really means "let them eat cake."— Angela Belcamino (@Angela Belcamino) 1631031149
What % of those jobs provide healthcare coverage? They literally can\u2019t afford to get Covid. What % provide hazard pay for having to deal with angry, sometimes violent people who refuse to wear masks? What % pay a living wage? Restaurant workers often get paid $3-5/hour + tips.— sydney (@sydney) 1630986655
Workers were thrown away like trash while companies took PPP money and didn't keep employees. Now those companies want employees to deal with the public, who don't mind if they die. Want people in the job market? Make sick leave and healthcare universal.— 3 Calls A Day (@3 Calls A Day) 1630989261
Some users highlighted the real message workers are sending to employers who refuse to pay living wages.
"Workers are finally in control after years of people like you thinking minimum wage is OK," one Twitter user wrote. "Your state offers less than $8/hr as a minimum wage, which is below the poverty line. Workers aren't lazy and staying home, collecting money. Oh no, they're finally getting a decent wage!"
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