Mar 27, 2020
After helping to pass a massive relief bill for a nation afflicted by coronavirus, Congressman Kelly Armstrong says he'll have to quarantine for two weeks after returning to North Dakota from Washington D.C.
"The North Dakota Department of Health recommends that people coming in from out of state self-quarantine," Armstrong said on this episode of Plain Talk while describing the nation's capital as a "petrie dish" right now.
"I'm going to do my part to flatten the curve," he added. Armstrong says he's currently measuring his temperature twice a day, and will seek testing for the COVID-19 virus if he notices any symptoms.
As for the legislation, Armstrong says he expects the IRS will do "everything they can" to get Americans the authorized payments by April 6. He said he was worried about the cost of the bill, and whether all of the policy decisions it implements are sound, but described it as "essentially like eminent domain for our entire economy."
Why that comparison? He says the government has asked businesses to isolate themselves from their customers, and that's not unlike a taking. "We've had entire industries have their customer base cut off overnight," he said.