“I’m on Indeed every day, looking for a job,” said Lafauci, 36. “There is nothing.”
Source: Sarah Lafauci
It has now been over a week since tens of millions of Americans stopped receiving federal unemployment assistance of $ 600.
Negotiations between Republicans and Democrats over what to replace these payments have become increasingly long and bitter process. Leader of the Republican majority in the Senate Mitch mcconnell told CNBC on Thursday that he expects the two sides to come to an agreement “at some point in the near future.”
These words hardly reassure Sarah Lafauci, who was fired from her job as a human resources subcontractor during Delta Airlines in March and has not been able to land another job since.
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“I’m on it Indeed every day looking for a job, “said Lafauci, 36.” There is nothing. ”
Even with the increase in federal unemployment, Lafauci’s income had been declining since his employment. She has used up what little savings she had to meet her bills, but now she will have to make some tough decisions.
“With that $ 600 lost, I’m literally screwed,” she said. Her weekly state allowance in Minnesota is approximately $ 490.
“I’m going to have to see if the people in my car can defer some payments,” she said. “I might have to give up my apartment. It’s hell.”
Steven Smith’s state benefit in Missouri is approximately $ 300.
Source: Steven Smith
People cannot survive on their unemployment benefits alone, experts say. The typical government check was about $ 333 weekly in April, but can go as low as $ 100 in Oklahoma.
Minimum benefits in each state leave people in even more difficult situations. For example, unemployed people in Hawaii can earn as little as $ 5 a week, or just $ 15 in Connecticut.
Steven Smith was fired from his job as a coach driver in March. Even with his pension and social security, the 69-year-old needed work to meet his bills and debts.
“We always pay for the house; we have payments for the car,” he said. “The federal allowance of $ 600 gave me the average of what I earned while driving.”
Food needs and other forms of hardship are expected to last for some time, as unemployment is expected to remain high for several years.
Brynne keith jennings
senior research analyst at the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities
After Smith lost his job, he suspended his mortgages and auto loans, but those stays are now over.
“When it all came back, there was the $ 600,” Smith said. Her weekly state allowance in Missouri is approximately $ 300.
Every week, he checks with his former colleagues to find out when he could return to work.
“We all cry to be back behind the wheel,” Smith said. “But the jobs are not there.”
It is disappointing to see elected officials unable to reach agreement on another stimulus package, Smith said.
“We need $ 600 to put food on the table and pay the bills,” said Smith, 69.
Source: Steven Smith
“It doesn’t seem like they care,” he said. “They get paid, and I don’t think they have America’s heart in mind.
“We need $ 600 to put food on the table and pay the bills.”
In the midst of one of the worst recessions in U.S. history, the number of Americans who find it difficult to pay for food has skyrocketed. Nearly 26 million adults said their household members were not eating enough due to lack of funds, according to Census data analyzed in July by the Center for Budget Policies and Priorities. And that was before the $ 600 bonus expired.
“Food needs and other forms of hardship are likely to last for some time as unemployment is expected to remain high for several years,” said Brynne keith jennings, Senior Research Analyst in the Food Assistance Team of the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities.
Even after Congress passes another stimulus package, it may take weeks for state unemployment agencies to put the expanded federal allowance back into service, said Michele Evermore, Senior Policy Analyst at the National Employment Law Project. In the meantime, many people may turn to high interest payday loans or get into debt in other forms.
Others may lose their homes because of the loss of benefits. Around the same time the $ 600 bonus expired, the federal moratorium on evictions too. The Urban Institute estimated that the provision covered almost 30% rental housing across the country. And most statewide deportation moratoria are coming to an end, with proceedings resuming in more than 30 states. From an estimate, up to 40 million Americans could be deported during the public health crisis.
Without an extension of a federal unemployment benefit, Courtney Davis’ only income will be her weekly check for $ 158 from Georgia. This payment is not even enough to cover the rent of his one-bedroom apartment.
“My biggest concern is becoming homeless,” said Davis, 23, seven months pregnant. “I am so ready to go back to work, but the pandemic is not slowing down.”
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