Trump Administration Lowballs Unemployment Benefits In New COVID-19 Offer

  • Date: 09-Dec-2020
  • Source: Huffpost
  • Sector:Economy
  • Country:Middle East
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Trump Administration Lowballs Unemployment Benefits In New COVID-19 Offer

The latest stimulus offer from the White House comes with one-time $600 payments for most Americans and a lump of coal for the unemployed. 

The new proposal offered by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin swapped the $300 unemployment supplement that has bipartisan support on Capitol Hill with a single round of direct payments worth up to $600, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

Mnuchin said earlier Tuesday that he had spoken to congressional leaders about the administration's support for a $916 billion package, noting that it was “a slightly larger package” than the $908 billion deal under discussion by a bipartisan working group. 

But whatever “progress” lawmakers were making — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) used that word after learning that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell apparently supported the offer — Pelosi said it was “unacceptable” to only provide $40 billion worth of federal unemployment insurance instead of the $180 billion that had been under discussion by the bipartisan group. 

Pelosi added that the president's proposal shouldn't “obstruct” the negotiations led by moderate senators, including Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). 

“The bipartisan talks are the best hope for a bipartisan solution,” she said. 

The new offer from the Trump administration capped a day