Dems, GOP continue to spar over extension of extra $600 in unemployment benefits

The $600 weekly benefits, which are funded by the federal government, will expire after July 31 absent of any congressional action.

Republicans are leveraging a surprisingly strong May employment report — which said the economy added 2.5 million jobs last month, instead of losing a projected 7.5 million jobs — to suggest that the country is in growth mode and federal policies should encourage Americans to return to work.

“Our economy has turned the corner against the coronavirus,” said Scalia, a Republican who was appointed by President Donald Trump last year, in testimony at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday afternoon.

“The best thing for workers is work, not unemployment,” he added.

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But Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said it would be a “profound mistake” to let the expanded unemployment benefits expire in July.

“[They] prevented a level of severe hardship that is almost impossible to comprehend,” he said at the hearing.

By not extending the benefits, Bennet added, “I’d argue we’d throw tens of millions of people who rely on them into a financial crisis, family by family, all across the United States of America.”

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/11/dems-gop-spar-over-extension-of-extra-600-in-unemployment-benefits.html