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Democrats on the Hill are pushing President Biden to propose permanently expanding unemployment benefits offered during the pandemic. <\/p>\n
They a pressing for the changes in federal standards as part of an anti-poverty package Biden is expected to announce next week. Ultimately, unemployment programs are largely run on a state level. <\/p>\n
In a letter to the White House, 40 House Democrats proposed increasing jobless benefits, extending the duration of the weekly benefits, expanding the pool of eligibility and creating a system that would tie payments to changing economic conditions, according to the Wall Street Journal. <\/p>\n
Since the coronavirus pandemic took off, Congress has increased jobless payments a number of times, first adding $600 to weekly payments in the CARES Act until December and most recently adding a $300 weekly supplement that will last through September. <\/p>\n
“The Cares Act\u2019s emergency programs must be extended to support jobless workers for the duration of the current economic downturn, but we must also fix the underlying problems facing our [unemployment insurance] system so that it can provide economic security for all workers,” lawmakers wrote in the letter. <\/p>\n
The White House has been studying unemployment changes, and Democrats on Capitol Hill have been in communication with the administration on the matter, a source told the WSJ.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear if the White House will address the changes in its forthcoming poverty plan. That measure is expected to be priced at $1 trillion and include funding for paid leave, tuition-free community college and universal pre-kindergarten. <\/p>\n