Edward Markey actually said...

In response to what happened, Senator Blumenthal and I called on Southwest to provide a cash hardship payment beyond refunds.

It is their choice. Would you give them a cash payment in order for them to fly on another carrier rather than Southwest?

And again, that just misses the whole point about the customers, how they were inconvenienced, and how they need to be compensated with cash...

Unfortunately for those customers, those payments are little consolation for passengers like Christine Pastore.