Reid: Government Should Run Just like a Business (When That Means More Generous Benefits)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=JrbwqUCymQk

Harry Reid says he objected to David Vitter’s (R., La.) amendment last year to eliminate subsidies for congressional staffers’ health insurance because the government should function just like any other business.

Reid first argued that Vitter was effectively trying to prevent staffers from getting health care at all — when NBC’s Chuck Todd pointed out that the law would just end the government’s contribution to the coverage, Reid snapped that Todd was “playing [Vitter’s] game.”

“Every other business in America, their employer helps them with health care,” he continued. “And we should be a major business,” Reid said, noting that the Senate has 6,500 employees.

He didn’t mention what other major businesses only work a third of the days out of every year.