Senator Bernie Sanders and Telsa CEO Elon Musk exchanged shots on Twitter regarding a new bill proposed by Sanders and other progressives, which would tax a number of billionaires in order to cover the health care costs of those uninsured during the coronavirus pandemic.
Musk replied to the proposed bill with a meme displaying Sanders, that reads "Official Bernie Sanders drinking game! Every time the Bernster mentions a free government program, chug somebody else's beer!"
Sanders quote-tweeted Musk's meme, saying "Every time Elon Musk pokes fun at government assistance for the 99%, remember that he would be worth nothing without $4.9 billion in corporate welfare. Oh, Elon just l-o-v-e-s corporate socialism for himself, rugged capitalism for everyone else."
The Make Billionaires Pay Act (co-sponsored by Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass, and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY) would "cover all necessary healthcare expenses of the uninsured and underinsured, including prescription drugs, for one year." An estimated 5.4 million Americans lost their health insurance from February through May 2020, according to Families USA.
The proposed bill would cost Jeff Bezos $42.8 billion, Mark Zuckerberg $22.8 billion, the Walton family $12.9 billion, and Elon Musk $27.5 billion. It targets the richest 0.001% of the United States.
Read more about the proposed bill here.
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