With 70,000 jobless claims in just the last week hitting states?
Democrats are arguing for more money going to the state for unemployment payouts, not just $1,200 checks for people in a 3rd Congressional Stimulus bill effort…
Senate Republican and Democratic negotiators are battling over a central component of President Trump’s stimulus plan: sending out hundreds of billions of dollars in rebate checks to middle-income Americans.
Senate GOP negotiators argue that $1,200 direct payments to individuals are the best way to get money flowing through the economy quickly, while Democrats say disbursing cash benefits so broadly doesn’t do enough for low-income Americans and people who lose their jobs.
Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) on Friday said Congress should pass a massive expansion of unemployment benefits instead of simply doling out checks to individuals and families, regardless of whether they miss work because of health quarantines.
“There are many, many who have lost their jobs and one check when they may be out of their jobs for three, four, five months isn’t going to be enough. Unemployment insurance gives money the whole period of time the crisis exists at your present salary level and covers just about everyone,” Schumer said.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who participated in an initial round of talks with Senate Republican chairmen on Friday morning, argued that direct payments will not be as effective as expanded unemployment benefits.
“In the Republican package there was nothing on unemployment insurance,” Stabenow said. “We are not in any way seeing yet the focus enough on workers, on the workforce, on people getting hit the hardest.”…