Senate Republicans have proposed cutting unemployment benefits by as much as $400 in their $1 trillion coronavirus relief package set for release Monday afternoon, The Washington Post reports.
The GOP proposal would cut enhanced federal unemployment benefits, which are due to expire this week, down to $200 from $600, while states will have two months to work on moving to a system that will cover about 70% of the wages lost by laid off workers due to the pandemic, according to CNN. The $200 enhanced benefit will continue to be applied to state unemployment benefits, which can provide about 45% of what a worker made before they were laid off, depending on the state.
This plan was reportedly discussed by congressional Republican staffers after White House officials, GOP legislators, and business executives complained about the $600 enhanced benefits, claiming that recipients wouldn't return to their jobs unless the benefit was reduced.
The GOP plan is also expected to include another round of $1,200 checks, about $100 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program intended to help small businesses, and an extension to the limited moratorium on evictions.
"These are technical adjustments to the formulas. I don't want to predict. They're in final discussions as we talk," White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Monday, according to The Hill.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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