Editorials & Other Articles

marmar

(77,077 posts) Thu Oct 22, 2020, 03:51 PM Oct 2020

The Nightmare Facing the Poor and Working Class If There's Not Another Stimulus

The Nightmare Facing the Poor and Working Class If There’s Not Another Stimulus
With time running out and Republicans balking at more Covid relief, U.S. workers are facing a future of financial misery.

JEFF SCHUHRKE OCTOBER 12, 2020

(In These Times) As millions of U.S. workers face unemployment, food insecurity and eviction amid the coronavirus pandemic, the limited aid provided by the federal government’s flawed CARES Act from March has long since dried up.

Last week, following more than six months of stalled negotiations with congressional Democrats over a new economic relief package, President Trump abruptly announced he was halting talks until after the November election.

While the president quickly backtracked and is now reportedly continuing to negotiate, the federal government’s ongoing failure to pass a new relief package spells catastrophe for a U.S. working class already pushed to the brink by an economic crisis seemingly on par with the Great Depression.

Here’s a breakdown of what the continued lack of federal help means for workers:

Significantly reduced unemployment checks

Perhaps the most beneficial part of the CARES Act was the extra $600 a week it provided to workers on unemployment?—?a temporary lifeline that the GOP-led Senate allowed to expire on July 31.

Weekly unemployment benefits vary widely by state, ranging from $44 in Oklahoma to $497 in Washington. The $600 weekly supplement was an across-the-board benefit that ensured unemployed workers in any state maintained a decent income despite losing their jobs due to the pandemic. ...............(more)

https://inthesetimes.com/article/stimulus-covid-pandemic-gop-checks-relief