LEXINGTON, Ky. _ Americans receiving unemployment have been getting an extra $600 a week during the coronavirus pandemic, but that is about to come to a screeching halt.
The federal benefit is expiring this weekend, and Congress has not passed a new stimulus plan.
The loss of funding for laid-off workers did not sit well with many who took to social media Friday afternoon to voice anger with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell over the lack of action. McConnell _ who is running for reelection against Democrat Amy McGrath _ has not gotten GOP lawmakers to agree on next steps as COVID-19 cases spiked in many states across the country.
Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth spoke out on Facebook, saying, "A warning to the hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians who are currently receiving unemployment benefits: the $600 federal pandemic assistance expires this weekend. The House passed a bill more than two months ago to continue it, but the Senate has done nothing, and Mitch McConnell just sent Senators home early for the weekend. Your benefits will be significantly cut next week, and Senator McConnell doesn't give a d _ -."
Speaking at an event in Ashland on Friday, McConnell said, "Hopefully, we can come together behind some package we can agree on in the next few weeks," The Washington Post reported.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement blaming Republicans for "dithering for months while America's crisis deepens," ABC News reported.
"We had expected to be working throughout this weekend to find common ground on the next COVID response package," they said. "It is simply unacceptable that Republicans have had this entire time to reach consensus among themselves and continue to flail. Time is of the essence, and lives are being lost."
McConnell said in a tweet Friday afternoon that the CARES Act "provided Kentucky and our nation with the tools to endure the first phase of the coronavirus crisis. But America's fight continues, so Congress's support for our people must continue as well. CARES 2 will focus on three things: Kids, jobs and healthcare."
But exactly what that will look like remains to be seen. Some of the disagreement apparently has been over how much the federal government should supplement states' unemployment payments to workers. Critics _ including President Donald Trump _ argue that an extra $600 a week created a "disincentive to work" because the total was more than some people earned from their jobs, USA Today reported.
Meanwhile, Democrats said they are concerned for the millions of Americans struggling without jobs as the pandemic rages.
