McConnell says next coronavirus bill will not extend enhanced unemployment benefits
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the next coronavirus bill would not extend beefed-up unemployment insurance enacted as the pandemic ravaged the U.S. economy, according to a source familiar with his remarks.
The Kentucky Republican made the comment Wednesday on a call with House GOP lawmakers as he talked about priorities for the next phase of the outbreak response, Politico first reported. The $600 per week federal unemployment benefit, which adds to the sum individuals normally get from states, will expire at the end of July.
House Democrats passed a $3 trillion rescue package last week that would extend the financial backstop through January. Their efforts to sustain the more generous assistance come as new government data shows more than 38 million people have filed jobless claims since widespread closures designed to slow infections began in March.