CBS’ Brennan Presses Mnuchin on Unemployment Spike: Do You Need to Admit ‘You Simply Don’t Know’ If All These Jobs Will Come Back?

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin was optimistic about the future of the economy in Sunday, even as CBS’ Margaret Brennan pressed him on long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

During his interview for Face The Nation, Mnuchin faced a broad range of questions on whether Congress would approve a 4th economic stimulus package, and whether taxpayers can expect to see direct payments or a bailout for companies thrown into disarray. Towards the end, Brennan turned her attention to the record-breaking 3.3. million Americans who filed for unemployment last week after businesses were put on lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19.

“I appreciate all of what you are doing in that you are saying it’s going to take time to see if it is going to be successful or not,” Brennan said, “but do you need to level with the American people here and tell them you simply don’t know that all these jobs are going to come back?”

“I never said we didn’t know if this will be successful or not. I think this is program is going to be enormously successful in stabilizing the U.S. economy while hardworking Americans who lost their jobs or aren’t able to work because of the medical situation that they get help,” Mnuchin said. “So this money is going to go into the economy very quickly. It is going to help American workers very, very quickly and I don’t know how long it is going to take to kill this virus. I do know we will kill this virus, and when we do, I have great confidence that the U.S. economy will become roaring back.”

Mnuchin claimed last week that the unemployment spike was “not relevant,” insisting that Congress’ relief package would stabilize the economy, and that laid-off workers “will be rehired.”

Watch above, via CBS.