Millions of Americans Mourn Loss of $600 Unemployment Benefit, More at Risk of Losing Livelihoods

With the end of the weekly $600 unemployment benefit, many Americans are mourning the loss of the financial support that has helped them pay off rent or buy necessities. The United States is seeing a surge of citizens struggling in getting their basic needs amid the massive job loss the coronavirus pandemic has brought.

According to AP News, a laid-off recruiter, Liz Ness, who works at a New Orleans staffing agency, said her worst nightmare has come to life. She fears she might be evicted next month due to not having enough to pay the rent without the $600 support from the government.

Extension of unemployment benefits?

Capitol Hill lawmakers are struggling to agree about if they should restore some federal unemployment aid. While it is possible they provide another jobless benefit; it would most likely be less than the previous weekly $600. Also, it would come at a time when citizens are already suffering the consequences, and some might have been thrown into the streets.

CEO of United Way Worldwide, Brain Gallagher, said Congress members might have spare time to discuss the issue this week and work on a decision by next week which would distribute the aid afterwards. However, he said families of the average American do not share the same sentiment as they would most likely have no more money by tomorrow.

Up to 30 million Americans have been relying on the weekly unemployment benefits to support themselves through the job cuts that the coronavirus pandemic has caused, which also killed nearly 160,000 United States citizens.

Also Read: Stimulus Payment Update: Check Could Be Delayed for Months

Less unemployment

The US government said on Thursday that nearly 1.2 million Americans who have been laid-off applied for unemployment last week. The statistics are a reduction from what analysts saw the previous week. However, despite the decrease in unemployment, the record marks the 20th straight week that more than one million Americans requested for unemployment support, a number that has never seen more than 70,000 before the global outbreak.

The stimulus package that Washington is discussing would include at least $100 billion to assist schools in reopening, the second set of $1,200 stimulus checks that most Americans would receive, and hundreds of billions of dollars more to support state and local governments in avoiding workers from being furloughed, as reported by CBS News.

A few Republicans in Congress, however, argue that the previous $600 unemployment benefit was too generous. They argued it discouraged people from going back to work which also hurt the country from reviving the economy. Several university studies have questioned the claim as some economists and labor experts state that benefits specific jobs have such as health care are more than enough to motivate people to go back to work even with a low salary.

ABC News reports that some Americans considered the weekly $600 unemployment benefit as their lifeline. A makeup artist who makes the most of her salary during the busy wedding season, Bethany Racobs-Ashford, said the pandemic struck just as the season started and resulted in her losing her source of income. She fears for her family and wonders what else is next for them.

Fearing eviction, Racobs-Ashford moved out of their rented home and moved in with her 70-year-old mother. She now worries about applying for work that could potentially risk her family's health.