While another 1.4 million workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, including 292,700 Californians, Congressman Mike Garcia said that small business owners are struggling because most Californians would rather stay unemployed or claim unemployment insurance than get back to work.
Last week’s economic report marks the 18th straight week that more than a million Americans have filed claims and what is being reported locally as the “worst level” of economic pain for workers in California in the last three months. But according to Congressman Mike Garcia, hundreds of thousands of Californians who are filing for support would rather file for unemployment then get back to work.
Reminder – when asked his views on the importance of SNAP assistance for those Californians in need, Mike Garcia said those individuals should “have to fend for themselves.” And earlier this summer, Garcia said that support for families in response to the pandemic has “been a two-month trial subscription to socialism,” that was “ugly” and “none of us liked it.”
This is from the Congressman who stood on the White House Lawn and thanked President Trump for his “leadership” during the pandemic.
Statement from DCCC Spokesperson Andy Orellana:
“Another week and another example of Mike Garcia’s unflinching allegiance to far-right Republican dogma of Donald Trump, this time insulting the workers of California. It’s this insulting line of thinking from Congressman Garcia that once again shows how out of touch Garcia is with the needs of working Californians.”
Listen to Garcia’s full comments here or read them below.
Congressman Mike Garcia:
“The small businesses owners are really having a hard time bringing people back to work because the unemployment insurance and the unemployment checks that most workers are getting are actually more, in some cases, than the actual salaries they were earning before.”
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