Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement in reaction to a potential lapse in supercharged unemployment benefits:
“Unemployment benefits for 30 million workers are going to lapse because Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have sat on their hands for months, hoping the virus would magically disappear.
“I don’t know what level of suffering the American people have to endure, between the pandemic and the unemployment crisis, before Donald Trump and Senate Republicans will stand up and do their jobs.
“The United States just hit 4 million coronavirus cases. There are 60,000 cases day after day after day, and the economic recovery has completely stalled.
“Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are responsible for this catastrophe, and they are responsible for millions of families not having money to pay rent or buy groceries on August 1. Even today, they have no proposal, except some vague plan to cut benefits and make the program even more difficult for overburdened states to administer. In contrast, I released my proposal in May and House Democrats passed the HEROES Act in May.
“Lastly, let me make one point clear: Due to ancient technology, states need between one and four weeks to adjust the $600 boost. At this late hour, the only option to guarantee benefits do not lapse is the Democratic plan to extend the $600 weekly benefit. Republicans rejected that plan outright. They were never serious about preventing a lapse in benefits.”
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