Stimulus Checks: Stephen King Takes Aim at Congress for Dragging Their Feet on New Package

Stephen King fired off a furious tweet at the U.S. government on Tuesday, as reports begin to question whether they will pass a stimulus package before their scheduled recesses. The U.S. Congress is expected to leave Washington, D.C. on Friday, and the United States Senate shortly after that. To King, the public servants should not be allowed to leave until the American people get a much-needed stimulus check.

"The f—ing lawmakers have to stay in Washington until they have a stimulus package," King wrote bluntly on Tuesday morning. "If it was up to me, they'd do it without air conditioning. Once their underwear started striking in their a—cracks, they'd make a deal." King's tweet picked up nearly 74,000 and over 12,000 retweets as the day wore on.

The fucking lawmakers have to stay in Washington until they have a stimulus package. If it was up to me, they'd do it without air conditioning. Once their underwear started sticking in their ass-cracks, they'd make a deal.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 28, 2020

Most respondents seemed to agree with King, furious over the timeline of the new stimulus package. Congress passed another stimulus package called the HEROES Act back in May, but the Senate refused to consider it. They did not work on a counter-proposal until last week when they returned from a two-week recess. That resulted in the HEALS Act, revealed in the Senate on Monday night.

Congress has been known to reschedule recesses before in the case of an essential piece of legislation, though King's followers noted with disdain that the Senate did not do so earlier this month. Also, many were shocked that the Senate already has another prolonged recess scheduled — this time for three weeks, from the beginning of August through Labor Day.

The point of these recesses is often for legislators to spend time in the places they represent, among the people who they speak for in the nation's capital. Still, many Twitter users said unequivocally that they would rather their senators or representatives stay in Washington until a stimulus package could be agreed upon.

Back in May, McConnell and other senators called the HEROES Act "dead on arrival," and some Democrats have thrown that phrase back in their face when it comes to the HEALS Act. On Tuesday morning, Sen. Bernie Sanders pointed out the various military and surveillance programs the HEALS Act proposed to fund, alongside the housing, food assistance and other social programs it was ignoring. In a tweet of his own, he called it "Dead on Arrival."

At the time of this writing, about 20 percent of American workers are unemployed, according to a report by Forbes, and the economic recession is expected to continue even after a COVID-19 vaccine reaches the market. McConnell has said that this will be the last stimulus package he agrees to pass.