Stimulus & Bailout Watch Thread

South Paw

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whats the latest word? we getting more money or nah?
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:wow:
 

bnew

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Trump indicates he won't sign another coronavirus stimulus bill that doesn't include a payroll tax cut

Trump indicates he won't sign another coronavirus stimulus bill that doesn't include a payroll tax cut

President Donald Trump indicated in an interview with "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace that he may not sign another coronavirus stimulus bill if it doesn't include a payroll tax cut.

Currently, the White House and top Republicans in Congress are weighing what a future stimulus package could look like as the federal $600 per week extra unemployment benefit that Congress passed for several states as part of the CARES Act in April is set to run out in six days on July 25.

"The stimulus bill is running out at the end of this month. The Republicans say they want liability limits, which the Democrats don't like, you say that you want a payroll tax cut, which even some Republicans are cool to. Will you only sign a bill with those two provisions?" Wallace asked.

"We're going to see, but we do need protections because businesses are going to get sued just because — you don't know where this virus comes from, they'll sit down at a restaurant, they'll sue the restaurant, the guy's out of business," Trump said, referring to a federal provision that would shield businesses like restaurants from being sued by people who claimed to contract COVID-19 at those establishments.

"So we do need some kind of immunity. Just like you need immunity for the police whether they like it or not, you need immunity for the police. But they do need a form of immunity," he continued, accusing the Democrats of being controlled by the legal lobby.

When Wallace pressed him on the payroll tax cut, Trump said he'll "have to see" but would "consider not signing it if we don't have a payroll tax cut, yes."

Trump has strongly pushed for a payroll tax cut throughout the pandemic, but such a move would only provide limited relief for those who still have jobs, would most benefit the highest earners who pay the most in taxes, and wouldn't do anything to help the Americans who are out of work. The unemployment rate for June came in at 11.1% with the number of people who have permanently lost their jobs increasing.

And as Wallace referenced, not all Republicans have been enthusiastic or on board with the idea of a payroll tax cut for previous rounds of stimulus negotiation.

On Sunday, The Washington Post reported that in light of the enhanced $600 per week federal unemployment benefits poised to run out in less than a week, the White House and top Senate Republicans are considering measures including extending a smaller-scale weekly federal enhanced unemployment benefit of $200 or $400 per week or means-testing future federal unemployment benefits.

While Republicans are trying to limit the size and extent of a future stimulus package as much as possible, some experts told the Post that means-testing a future federal unemployment benefit could pose even more administrative burdens on already-overworked and overwhelmed state employment agencies, many of which are struggling to process claims as is and leaving millions waiting for benefits.
 

BK The Great

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The U.S. economy appears to be headed for an iceberg in just over a week, thanks in part to a dumb technicality that Congress accidentally overlooked while passing its coronavirus relief legislation in March.

In theory, the $600 per week federal unemployment benefits that have been a crucial lifeline to families throughout the crisis were supposed to expire on July 31. That was the date most journalists, Capitol Hill staffers, and lawmakers initially marked in their brains as the deadline for passing another round of pandemic aid so that people who are out of work don’t see a sudden, massive drop in their income.


But it turns out everybody circled the wrong day. The problem is that July 31 is a Friday, and states pay unemployment benefits based on weeks that end on a Saturday or Sunday. As a result, the last week of this month won’t actually be covered by the $600 top off. The extra cash will disappear after July 26 in every single state.

Outlets like USA Today and CBS have been reporting this point since at least late June, but it has failed to spur quicker action on Capitol Hill. Making matters worse, once Congress does finally act to renew the payments, it will likely take states at least a couple of weeks to reprogram their ancient computer systems to deliver whatever new benefit Congress settles on, as Michele Evermore, the lead expert on unemployment insurance at the National Employment Law Project, has explained. If negotiations push past Aug. 1, it is possible that some families could go a month without federal help.

I asked Evermore if there was any way for states to fix this issue on their own, perhaps by moving their benefit weeks back by a day, which in my head sounded like a sort of common-sense solution. She said it would be essentially impossible, both for legal and technical reasons. “The benefit-week issue is one of the harder things to fix,” she said. “In most states, it’s in statute, and even where it is not, that kind of core program change is a nightmare.”

While this issue appears to have been the product of a congressional flub, the Department of Labor actually spelled it out very clearly in a document issued way back on April 4. Somehow, it slipped through the cracks.


Despite the overall successWashington has had getting aid to the jobless through this crisis, many Americans still appear to be suffering. More people are reporting trouble getting enough to eat. Households have been skipping loan payments, and many are worried that the U.S. may be on the verge of a housing crisis this summer as eviction moratoria are lifted. Cutting people off from aid will only make those problems worse, while pushing the wider economy into a deeper hole. There were about 32 million individuals on the unemployment rolls, according to the government’s most recent count. If the $600 boost disappears completely, they will still receive normal state benefits. But on average, their incomes could be cut by more than half.


Not that Republicans seem to care. Much of the party is still seemingly convinced that the $600 unemployment boost is preventing people from going back to work—a claim for which there is absolutely noevidence, and that is becoming ever more preposterous as states shut businesses like bars back down to deal with the resurgent coronavirus outbreaks. And while the White House has signaled that it would be willing to compromise on the issue by extending benefits at a lower rate—perhaps somewhere between $200 and $400 a week—there are still no real negotiations between the two parties in Congress. Instead, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he is planning to present a plan to his Republican colleagues next Monday, and only afterward share it with Democrats. (A source with Senate Democrats confirmed they’ve still received “zero outreach” from McConnell.) By the time the two sides can agree to something, there’s a good chance that these crucial benefits will have lapsed for at least a while. “Senator McConnell’s months-long refusal to engage in bipartisan talks on the next phase of federal relief legislation has created needless uncertainty and pain for millions of families who are still reeling from the public health and economic crises,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

So that’s where we are. The economy is en route to its date with the abyss. And all Democrats can do at the moment is beg the GOP to veer away.
 

NeilCartwright

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I try to tell the bros that their situation isn’t typical. They’re in the military so they haven’t missed a check or a meal. Doesn’t matter if the government shuts down or we’re in a recession.

But when this fed unemployment boost ends it will be a shyt show. People are hurting

Let this be another reminder that these white folks in positions of power don’t give a damn bout anyone who doesn’t line their pockets
 
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