The next, and possibly final, massive federal stimulus bill may send another $1,200 check to most Americans and give cash-strapped states like Connecticut more money – although that infusion likely won’t be as much as the states want.
In May, the House passed the first interim coronavirus relief bill that will pay for testing and offer help to small businesses and medical providers.
The bill is likely to also extend federal unemployment benefits for a while longer and may give front-line workers some long-sought hazard pay.
Unlike the U.S. House-passed $3.5 trillion HEROES Act that has been ignored by the Senate, this new stimulus bill will be crafted by the White House and Republican and Democratic congressional leaders following the formula used to pass earlier stimulus legislation that has poured over $3 trillion into the U.S. economy to keep it from collapsing during the pandemic.
For Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, negotiations must begin with the unemployment benefit in the HEROES Act, which she helped draft in part.
DeLauro, and many fellow Democrats, insist federal unemployment benefits of $600 a week should be extended at least through January. They are now scheduled to end on July 25.
The White House has pushed back on and extension of benefits, saying, like Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, that it would be a disincentive to work.
But congressional Republicans have signaled they might back a smaller benefit of $200 or less a week. The White House is also considering reducing unemployment payments to $250 or $300 a week during the second half of the year.
Media Bias Fact Check. Source: CT Mirror For more on the story.