Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah on Friday proposed a temporary pay raise for essential workers who are working during the coronavirus pandemic.
Called “Patriot Pay,” the plan would institute a temporary bonus of up to $12 per hour in May, June and July for a total of $1,920 per month.
The plan goes on to outline: “One-quarter of this bonus would be paid by their employer, and three-quarters would be paid by the federal government, funded by a refundable payroll tax credit.”
“Health care professionals, grocery store workers, food processors, and many others—the unsung patriots on the frontline of this pandemic—every day risk their safety for the health and well-being of our country, and they deserve our unwavering support,” Romney said in a press release.
Senate Democrats have also laid out plans to give essential workers hazard pay.
In April, Romney was the only Republican senator excluded from a bipartisan White House task force focused on reopening the country amid the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump said he didn’t pick the Utah senator because of lingering animosity over Romney’s vote for the first article of impeachment convicting Trump of abuse of power.
