Get a loan?

Remark shows the disconnect of man of power, wealth

The ceasefire between the White House and Congress that brought back to work thousands of furloughed federal employees means paychecks are resuming now for these wage earners, many of whom had struggled financially during the longest government shutdown in history.

That shutdown had many public repercussions but for those affected federal employees, whether they were working or sitting at home, there were many personal impacts and chief among them — at least for some — was difficulty paying the bills.

So it was shocking when Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross — one of the richest people in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet — publicly expressed confusion during the shutdown about why some unpaid federal workers may have needed charity to help them get by.

Get a loan, Mr. Ross suggested in a television interview.

As a wealthy man who had worked as a private-equity investor, the comment seemed to reflect a wide disconnect with work-a-day America.

Rebuked for his comment, Mr. Ross walked it back, saying he wanted to be sure that workers were aware they could get credit union loans if they were “experiencing liquidity crises.”

Liquidity crises? That’s a nice term for lacking rent or grocery money.

Mr. Ross’s loan comment was a poor reflection on Mr. Trump who ascended to the White House with the support of Middle America, many of whom are paycheck-to-paycheck people.

Mr. Trump said that Mr. Ross “should have said it differently.” Yes, he should have. The administration’s empathy should have been expressed more clearly and more convincingly.