Sen. Bernie Sanders is calling out the crushing reality of living paycheck to paycheck, saying it’s unacceptable that working people in the U.S. are forced to make impossible choices about basic needs.
‘Robbing Peter to pay Paul’
“What does it mean to live paycheck to paycheck?” Sanders asked a crowd of 3,200 people in Las Vegas over the weekend.
“Robbing Peter to pay Paul,” one person replied. Others shared stories of skipping meals, putting off college, drowning in credit card debt with 20% interest rates, and choosing between rent and medication.
“Going hungry in America,” Sanders repeated from the crowd. “Stress every day to pay the rent. That’s what it’s about.”
Sanders said the constant financial pressure is not just bad economics — it’s harming people’s health.
“Doctors will tell you… when you live under stress every day, trying to figure out how you’re going to feed your kids, how you’re going to pay the rent, how you deal with a boss who is not very pleasant… Dealing with Trump. All of that stress has an impact on your body and your mind,” he said.
He added, “In the richest country in the world, working-class people should not have to die unnaturally young. They should be able to live long and productive lives.”
Tension Around AOC Senate Question
A day before the Vegas rally, Sanders appeared on ABC News and got visibly irritated when asked about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez potentially running for Senate.
“Right now, we have, as I said, just a whole lot of people in the Congress. OK, Jonathan, thanks,” Sanders told host Jonathan Karl as he stood up from his chair. “You want to do nonsense, do nonsense. I don’t want to talk about inside the Beltway stuff.”
The two have been drawing massive crowds on a nationwide tour focused on economic justice. More than 30,000 people attended their rally in Denver last week.
Ocasio-Cortez has been floated as a future Senate or presidential contender, especially after she and Sanders publicly criticized Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for supporting a Republican-led spending bill.
Asked if he would run for president again, Sanders replied, “Right now, I’m Vermont’s senator. That’s what I do. And I’m very happy to do it. I am 83 years of age, and I’m tired.”
Still, Sanders’ message is that millions of Americans are suffering under a system that makes everyday life a battle, and he doesn’t want that fact buried under political speculation.
“No one should have to deal with these issues in a country as rich as ours.”