The Party of Big Government

"Beginning immediately, the federal government should cover 80 percent of wages for workers at any U.S. business, up to the national median wage, until this emergency is over. Further, it should offer businesses a bonus for rehiring workers laid off over the past month"

"Strong antitrust enforcement and stiffer corporate transparency rules will help to ensure that, when our economy gets moving, we don’t have a wave of mergers and liquidations that set our workers back yet again."

"Make no mistake, the cost of addressing this crisis will be substantial: Some economists estimate the price tag on meeting unemployment claims may rise to the hundreds of billions. But better that money be spent on saving jobs now and getting Americans ready to work than on bailouts and mass unemployment claims for months and months to come."

If you were guessing who wrote this op-ed in the Washington Post, you might think of a Progressive Caucus member like Pramila Jayapal, or maybe a liberal Senate stalwart like Sheldon Whitehouse.

Instead, the proposal is from 40 year old Josh Hawley, a Trump-friendly Republican and junior Senator from Missouri. Though Hawley's proposal will surely face resistance from the GOP, does it signal a generational shift in political philosophy brought on by the current crisis? We may find out by 2024, when Hawley, considered a rising star in the GOP, may run for the highest office.