Top House Republican: ‘There will be no normally functioning economy if our hospitals are overwhelmed’
(CNN) — Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, said on Tuesday that the US must address its health care crisis in order to restore the economy, as some of President Donald Trump’s allies push to reopen the country despite the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
“There will be no normally functioning economy if our hospitals are overwhelmed and thousands of Americans of all ages, including our doctors and nurses, lay dying because we have failed to do what’s necessary to stop the virus,” Cheney wrote on Twitter.
The comments from Cheney, who represents the at-large US House seat in Wyoming, came as Trump considers lifting some guidelines meant to protect the public from the virus.
The country faces both the phenomenal spread of a sickness that has killed hundreds of Americans and infected tens of thousands, and the ensuing economic catastrophe that has laid off hundreds of thousands of workers.
On Tuesday, Trump tweeted that “We can do two things together.”
“THE CURE CANNOT BE WORSE (by far) THAN THE PROBLEM! Congress MUST ACT NOW,” he added. “We will come back strong!”