Covid-19 relief legislation, which has reached Mar-a-Lago by Friday pending Trump’s signature, would extend the number of weeks people can stay in two major epidemic unemployment programs and increase weekly benefits by $ 300 for everyone through mid-March. . .
But after sitting on the sidelines during the negotiations, Trump surfaced with an 11-hour complaint that a separate clause in the deal that the White House helped the president broker would save only $ 600 in direct payments. Trump now wants to send in checks for $ 2,000.
Unemployment benefits are running out
The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program allows freelance contractors, self-employed, self-employed, and temporary workers to qualify for payments. The program also opens for those who are unable to work due to the pandemic, including if they or their family members are sick or in quarantine, or if their children’s schools are closed.
The Epidemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program provides an additional 13 weeks of federally paid benefits to those who have run out of state payments, which typically last 26 weeks. The programs technically end on December 31.
CARES Act’s third measure – an additional $ 600 per week in federal payments – expired at the end of July.
The new relief package expands the two pandemic programs by up to 11 weeks. All of them will approach new applicants on March 14th, but will continue until April 5 for current claimants who have not yet reached the 50-week limit.
Even if Trump signs the latest relief package on Saturday, the unemployed will likely still struggle with payments interruption for several weeks as state agencies reprogram the items of the package into their computers. But the benefits will be retroactive until the end of December.
However, states cannot provide payments for the weeks beginning before the bill is signed. Because Trump did not act on Saturday, participants in these two programs would not receive benefits for the last week of the year, although they would still receive the full 11-week extension, said Michael Evermore, senior policy analyst for the National Employment Act. Project.
But the $ 300 weekly boost for all unemployed Americans lasts through March 14, so it will likely be cut for at least a week.
Tenants are at risk, too
There are more problems on the horizon if Trump continues to leave the legislation on his desk.
An estimated 9.2 million tenants lost their employment income during the pandemic, or 23% of these tenants, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
The relief package will extend eviction protection through Jan.31 and provide $ 25 billion in rental aid to those who have lost their sources of income during the pandemic.
This story was updated on Sunday with additional developments.
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