On Monday, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) endorsed Andrew Yang’s proposal for a universal basic income during the coronavirus crisis. This led Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to express rare praise for someone on the other side of the aisle.
“Every American adult should immediately receive $1,000 to help ensure families and workers can meet their short-term obligations and increase spending in the economy,” Romney reportedly told The New York Times‘s Jonathan Martin.
NEW from @MittRomney:
“Every American adult should immediately receive $1,000 to help ensure families and workers can meet their short-term obligations and increase spending in the economy.”
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) March 16, 2020
CNN congressional correspondent Phil Mattingly shared Romney’s entire proposal sheet, which also includes grants to impacted small businesses, Pell Grant alterations for students and loan deferments for graduates, and more. Romney, who ran as a fiscal conservative in 2012, appears to have endorsed massive government intervention in the economy to fight the coronavirus.
Among @MittRomney’s Coronavirus response proposals: “immediately send $1,000 checks to each American” adult pic.twitter.com/ZvITKmdQfs
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) March 16, 2020
Yang, whose 2020 presidential campaign focused on a $1,000-per-person-per-month UBI plan, retweeted Martin’s message.
AOC celebrated Romney’s UBI endorsement.
“GOP & Democrats are both coming to the same conclusion: Universal Basic Income is going to have to play a role in helping Americans weather this crisis,” she tweeted.
GOP & Democrats are both coming to the same conclusion: Universal Basic Income is going to have to play a role in helping Americans weather this crisis.@RoKhanna & @TimRyan’s proposal goes up to $6,000/mo depending on need. Mitt Romney just came out for a flat $1,000 universal. https://t.co/43d4AWK70u
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 16, 2020
True to form, however, AOC expressed skepticism of any UBI plan that doesn’t involve a whole host of other “progressive” tweaks.
“Cash is important but if you do it w/o payment suspensions then it’s still everyday people footing the bill. Corporations, lenders, and banks need to do their fair share. UBI shouldn’t be used as an excuse for not pausing mortgage & student loan payments, halting interest, etc.,” she tweeted. AOC has compared UBI policies to a “Trojan Horse” in the past.
Cash is important but if you do it w/o payment suspensions then it’s still everyday people footing the bill.
Corporations, lenders, and banks need to do their fair share.
UBI shouldn’t be used as an excuse for not pausing mortgage & student loan payments, halting interest, etc. https://t.co/aYvDMbXtYQ
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 16, 2020
Many marveled at Romney for joining “the Yang Gang.”
Pretty sure Mitt Romney just joined the Yang Gang. https://t.co/LFij8coqbo
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) March 16, 2020
Welcome to the #YangGang…
*checks notes*
Mitt Romney?! https://t.co/HHzjj3yyuK
— Caroline McCarthy 🧢 (@caro) March 16, 2020
Mitt Romney, welcome to the Yang Gang. https://t.co/4wSpcvsp6Y
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) March 16, 2020
Mitt Romney may really support a UBI to help the American people, but he is also associating himself with a Democrat policy — likely aiming for the kind of attention he received by becoming the first U.S. senator to vote for the impeachment and removal of the president of his own party.
Tyler O’Neil is the author of Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Follow him on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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