Salon: Right-wing groups took millions in pandemic aid — and spent millions lobbying for unemployment cuts

These negotiations have been driven by a lobbying frenzy, The New York Times reported, and many of the board members of the groups urging Congress to drastically slash the unemployment benefit — such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, FreedomWorks, Americans for Tax Reform and the Club for Growth — have themselves benefited greatly from the CARES Act.

“The ‘stimulus for me, but not for thee’ pleas from wealthy and well-connected right-wing special interests would be laughable if Senate Republicans weren’t marching in lockstep,” Kyle Herrig, the president of the progressive government watchdog group Accountable.US, told Salon.

“McConnell and his allies are mulling drastic cuts to unemployment benefits that will leave struggling workers with even less money to feed their families and avoid eviction. They know but don’t care that amid the worsening health crisis, millions more people are out of work than there are jobs available. Cutting benefits for families in need won’t make jobs magically reappear.”