A group of Bay Area federal legislators on Wednesday called on the U.S. Senate to pass a House-approved COVID-19 coronavirus stimulus bill that includes relief funding for state and local governments and extends the distribution of enhanced federal unemployment benefits.
Reps. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, and Jerry McNerney, D-Antioch, held a virtual briefing Wednesday to demand an extension of the $600 per week in expanded unemployment benefits that was
included in the first coronavirus relief bill in late March.
Some 30 million people in the U.S. have relied on the expanded unemployment insurance included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. According to the group of legislators, that includes
roughly 3.2 million Californians.
The House’s coronavirus relief bill — the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act — extends federal unemployment benefits for those who have lost their job due to the pandemic as well as funding for state and local governments teetering on insolvency and the U.S. Postal Service.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin suggested on Sunday that the benefits disincentivized people to return to the workplace and, in some cases, amounted to more than people were making when they were employed.
Thompson threw cold water on Mnuchin’s argument, citing studies from Yale University and the Brookings Institution that found scant evidence of unemployment benefits disincentivizing peoples’ search for work.
McNerney suggested the cut in benefits would force his constituents and people across the country to choose between paying rent and paying for essentials like food and medical care.
“It’s asking some to choose between the needs of their children and the needs of their parents, of whom are completely dependent upon them,” he said.
“The Senate needs to put something on the table that we can work with,” McNerney said.
Eshoo argued that supportive funding for the Postal Service is of similar importance to extending unemployment benefits as the country lurches closer to a general election that is likely to generate a surge of mail-in voting during the pandemic.
Postal Service officials have warned federal legislators that the agency will be bankrupt by September if it does not receive federal aid.
“The health of our democracy is just as important as the health” of its constituents, Eshoo said.
McNerney argued that every day the Senate does not negotiate in good faith over the next coronavirus relief bill is another day that they’re failing to support the American people.
“I’ve seen a desperation in my district and I’m sure it’s going to get worse,” he said. “We need to act now.”
I have an idea, why don’t you open all businesses and put everybody back to work. Focus on helping those businesses that went out of business because of this fake pandemic.
If teachers refuse to show up in their classroom to instruct students, even if they are “teaching” remotely, then fire them for-cause.
As for a new stimulus bill, it should include a provision making it easy to fire any public employee for-cause… police, teachers, clerks… anyone.
Take ALL of the PORK out of this Bill. No money for anything except small businesses and people who have lost their job. And that includes the request for more electric vehicles from Malibu!
Right now, teachers do not have a choice. There are teachers that would prefer to be in the classroom but that is not an option. Granted, it is a small minority but, what can they do?
Where is all of this money coming from? It is time to take China to court. They can hold off on a couple of their military projects to help pay for this mess they created.
Yale can do all the studies they want. I work in payroll and have various clients around the state and in other states. I have first hand experience on how everything is affecting employees and employers and can see unemployment and hiring happen in real time with no delays since I am the one that processed new employees and terminations.
The extra $600 per month was definitely stopping employees from coming back to work. I had dozens of clients have at least 1 EE that refused to come back when a job was available to them and many with more than 1 EE who refused. I also had a few clients who’s EE straight up told them they make more on unemployment and won’t come back (dumb move by the EE of course) so they can do as many studies as they want but those of us directly involved in the day to day and week to week activities between employees and employers know that many employees did not come back because of the extra $600.
restaurant industry here. Seeing the same thing, either employees who just didn’t want to return to work saying flat out that they were making more on UI, or some who would only come back at reduced hours so they could continue collecting UI. I’m guessing this is par for the course in other industries right now too.
Actually, the extra $600 was weekly, not monthly.
Thanks for the the inside edition to Covid-19 era payroll and restaurant industry…confirms my inkling that some receiving UI prefer the current state of affairs.
Very true! People refuse work even thought it’s being offered! They really need to stop the extra $600/week. A lot of places opened up already and if they haven’t, they have resorted to working remotely…it’s too much to have to investigate each and every case but maybe they can hire PI’s lol I’ve been working at a local hospital since covid started and thank goodness I nor my family has gotten Covid-19 but several of my coworkers have. Our positive Covid patients have definitely increased but we continue to come to work. Be safe, use a mask, distance yourself and use common sense. Have a nice day!
Seems like the proposed $400 on top of state unemployment is reasonable compromise, pending a system to replace 80% of earnings.
Read the MASSIVE bill for yourself:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6800/text
Underhanded state bailouts hidden deep inside along with staggering amount of payoffs to Democrat favorites (unions and teachers).
All in the name of the “virus.” Votes count.
@Noj~Thanks for the link! I took a peek at this monstrosity and realized I will have to read it like chapters…
Of course the Bay Area socialists are calling for the Universal Basic Income to be passed.
108RS
I’m all for Universal Basic Income provided we do away with food stamps, WIC, free school lunch, section 8 housing, Pell Grants, SSI, SSDi, unemployment insurance, free phones, utility subsidies, transit vouchers, etc. The problem is people want all of the above (including the bureaucracy it takes to administer) + cash handouts.
Do away with SSI. SSI is not an entitlement, it is paid for by every worker and every employer in every paycheck. Give back all the money to everyone if you want to get rid of it.
Yes, agree get rid of the entitlements, let’s just make sure items we actually pay for are not considered entitlements. Can it be cleaned up and go back to what it was originally meant to cover, definitely a yes.
SSI is Supplemental Security Income and not part of Social Security. It is an already existing program to provide income to people who do not have enough work history (40 quarters/10 years) to qualify for Social Security Disability or Social Security Retirement.
Better read what Swamp Creatures in US house stuffed into the bill. All part of pelosi’s plan. There is no way that bill should become law.
There’s no need for a stimulous bill.
Put the people back to work.
Politicians lie all the time.
None can be trusted.
Hey I have worked for 40 Years I am 55. Living in Bay Area I really need that extra $600. I am slowly getting back to work on a weekly basis. this is brutal if this does not pass. Not just for me but for millions of Americans.