I’ll just strum the Wilbur Ross guitar for a few more minutes…

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross — a multimillionaire who has engaged in multiple, possibly criminal, ethics violations during his tenure — "doesn't understand why" federal workers are going to homeless shelters and food banks during the shutdown. pic.twitter.com/4jvYAdFMvf

— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) January 24, 2019

Wilbur Ross, who has been leading us into a trade war on behalf of the steel industry, says that the number of workers affected by the shutdown is small, so it's no big deal. A useful chart pic.twitter.com/5sWkjtwug8

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) January 24, 2019

Wilbur Ross is @realDonaldTrump’s Secretary of Commerce.

Wilbur Ross is a billionaire.

And this is billionaire Wilbur Ross saying he doesn’t understand why federal workers not getting paid during the #TrumpShutdown don’t just take out loans *to feed their families*.

Unreal. pic.twitter.com/YHHZqKa8sx

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 24, 2019

Thoughts on unpaid federal workers:

"In some sense they're better off."
– Kevin Hassett

"It is a little bit of pain but it's going to be for the future of our country."
– Lara Trump

"There’s no real reason why they shouldn’t be able to get a loan."
– Wilbur Ross

— Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) January 24, 2019

As Wilbur Ross touts legislation granting federal workers backpay *after* the shutdown ends, it’s a good time to remember that most federal contractors — cafeteria workers, carpenters, security officers, etc. — don’t get backpay. Ever.

And they’re often the most vulnerable. https://t.co/DQe1KpIv0P

— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 24, 2019