Additional $600 in unemployment benefits may last longer than planned

• The stimulus package President Trump signed in March entitles individuals to an additional $600 in weekly unemployment benefits.
• Barring any new legislation, the $600 weekly increase is poised to expire on July 31.
• Some lawmakers are hoping to extend the deadline indefinitely. A proposed piece of legislation would keep the weekly increase in place until the unemployment rate dips below 6%.

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As part of the $2 trillion stimulus package President Trump signed back in March, individuals filing for unemployment benefits started receiving an additional $600 per week. The $600 bump was implemented to help provide folks with a little bit of a cushion in the midst of a global pandemic that saw unemployment hit historic highs. During the last week of March, for instance, the number of unemployment claims skyrocketed to 6.9 million.

The $600 weekly increase, however, wasn't intended to last forever. As it stands now, the pay bump is scheduled to end on July 31. Democratic lawmakers, however, are making a concerted effort to keep the $600 bump in place until the economy starts turning around. Most recently, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Ron Wyden proposed a plan whereby the $600 increase in weekly benefits would remain partially intact in states where the unemployment level still hovers above 6%.

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Additional $600 in unemployment benefits may last longer than planned originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 2 Jul 2020 at 20:17:28 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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