Unless Congress agrees to extend an extra $600 weekly benefit paid to workers who lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, unemployed Americans will see a cut in income next month.
Under the CARES Act, unemployed Americans receive $600 per week in addition to jobless benefits paid by their state. The financial boost is scheduled to come to an end on July 31.
USA Today reports that some laid-off workers aren’t even aware the extra benefit will stop.
According to a recent survey from Credit Karma, about a quarter of unemployed people polled didn’t know there was an end date associated with the $600 weekly allowance.
“A lot of Americans don't have a strong safety net, and this is helping them make it through the pandemic,” Ken Lin, CEO of Credit Karma, told USA Today, adding the end of the extra benefit may be “a bit of a rude awakening.”
USA Today reports that the national average for unemployment benefits is about $378 per week.
Bartender Stephanie Carlson told the newspaper that she is worried about the extra unemployment money ending.
"It's going to be a very scary situation in a month," she said.
She said once the $600 weekly payments end, she will receive about $179 per week from unemployment, which is way less than what she earned while working. She was laid off from her job in March and has only received one unemployment check so far. She said the money went toward paying bills.
"I can't live on $179 a week," she said, adding she is looking for another job.
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