Economics
America’s Jobless Are About to Lose Their $600-a-Week Lifeline
- Interviews reveal benefit ranges from perk to necessity
- Policy makers at odds about extending weekly unemployment aid
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In about two weeks millions of Americans could lose a crucial economic lifeline of this pandemic: $600 a week in extra federal unemployment benefits.
The scheduled end will ripple through households and the entire economy. The program accounts for a big chunk of the Treasury Department’s record jobless payments last month, which exceeded $100 billion. Without the additional cash, some of the hardest-hit households may be forced to choose which bills to pay and which to let slide.