The Trump administration opposes a Democratic proposal to extend a $600 per week federal unemployment benefit approved in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said Tuesday. The money, included in a government relief package enacted in late March, has helped millions of
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration opposes a Democratic proposal to extend a $600 per week federal unemployment benefit approved in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said Tuesday.
The payments are set to expire July 31, and Democrats have pushed a plan that would extend the enhanced benefit through January. The Democratic-led House approved the proposal last month, but it is considered unlikely to advance in the Republican-controlled Senate. Democrats challenged that view, saying the unemployment rate is likely to remain at historically high levels through the summer at least.
Story continues“Speaking conservatively, more than 20 million Americans are still out of work today,″ Wyden said, “and I bet you’re not celebrating if you’re among the many people who don’t know how they’re going to pay the rent or put food on the table this month.″ Grassley and other Republicans cited a report by the Congressional Budget Office indicating that extending the $600 payments through January would mean that about 5 of every 6 recipients would receive benefits higher than the amount they would have earned from working.
Scalia said he agrees that most Americans “are excited to go back to work,'' but added that ”at the margins, a certain number will choose not to work" because of the $600 payments.
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