Since March, Montgomery – a New Yorker who also works as a voice teacher and tour guide – has not been able to find a steady job, but he has made weekly payments due to the historic expansion of benefits under the 2 trillion federal stimulus package. But now, with Congress stuck on a fresh relief deal, the epidemic unemployment aid program will begin just after Christmas.
If this happens, Montgomery and his wife, a part-time home health assistant, can go to Japan, where Montgomery’s wife is, or to Hong Kong, where he has lived for 12 years and believes he can find work.
“I hope our wonderful Congress would have come by now,” said Montgomery, 63. We will pay the rent. We will put that money back into the economy. It’s not that we’ll just collect it “we need to spend it.”
Another remedy, the Epidemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program, is also due to end. It pays the unemployed an additional 13 weeks after emptying their traditional state benefits, which usually lasts up to 26 weeks. Approximately 6.6 million recipients will see these additional payments expire unless Congress acts, the Century Foundation estimates – and many of them will not be eligible for extended state benefits, which could last up to 20 weeks.
The March closure has a lasting effect
Andrew Steiner, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, said: “We’ve never cut the unemployment benefits while so many are gathering, while the unemployment rate is at its highest, since the beginning of the recession.”
However Congress could not agree on a second stimulus package to extend many of the relief measures passed in March. There is a પ્રો 600 federal incentive for weekly unemployment benefits, which ended in late July despite heavy lobbying by employment, consumer advocates and Democrats.
‘Surprising’ inactivity in West Washington
America Caballero, who lost her contract job as a human resources employee for oil and gas companies in late April, said the “indifference” displayed by lawmakers was surprising.
Kabalero will soon be wiped out of her state benefits, and her epidemic emergency payments are likely. It will expire a full 13 weeks ago. She worries that the extended benefits the state will receive after that will run even before it is able to find work next year.
“Whenever Congress tries to do something, it breaks down because they can’t overcome their differences,” said Caballero, 45, who lives in the suburbs of Houston with his mother and sister. “The American people are suffering.”
Meanwhile, job listings have been phenomenal and fewer have been posted recently, he said. And many of the people she sees pay લર 35,000 to ,000 45,000 a year instead of the more typical 55,000 to 60,000 given before the epidemic.
“We want a job. We don’t want a handout,” said Caballero, who holds a master’s degree in business administration. “We want the economy to stabilize.”
A triple blow
Gabby Rally is facing a triple whammy when it comes to landing a new job to replace the one she lost in late March.
She worked in the sales of the Minneapolis Hotel, focusing on booking sports and entertainment clients. All those industries are affected by the epidemic.
The 39-year-old expects to be transferred to an extended benefit next month from an epidemic emergency unemployment compensation program, but she doesn’t think she’ll be able to find another job before she gets paid in March.
“Congress needs to compensate individuals, small businesses and large affected businesses adequately until we get out of the woods. Period,” said Riley, who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his son, who attended college virtually.
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