If there is no second dunning check in the next bailout bill, you could still benefit

This week, Republican and Democratic negotiators are expected to roll up their sleeves again and arguing over a stimulus program. Negotiations have already dragged on for six months, mired in deep partisan divisions. How successful will they be at the end of 2020.

The pressing need to provide more help and the frustrations that another COVID-19 relief bill That still might not happen, alarmed U.S. leaders and health experts as the country heads into a “dark winter” of rising coronavirus cases and looming economic hardship. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that the United States could reach a death toll of more than 320,000 by mid-December.

In an effort to do something, a growing number of Democratic and Republican lawmakers are pushing Congress to pass a bill smaller than the Democrats’. have supported since May, which could expand some of the more critical programs will expire at the end of the year. A reduced and short-term aid program could ignore the second economic stimulus check. After the swearing-in of President-elect Joe Biden Jan 20, his administration could then ask for a broader follow-up bill.

For months, Democratic leaders rejected the idea of ​​a smaller, focused bill – what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called half a loaf of bread – but the Senate and House of Representatives meeting for a handful of days before the end of the year, a smaller bill may be the only way to negotiate a deal before the end of the year.

“We have to do it now,” Senator Roy Blunt, a Republican from Missouri, said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “We must continue to finance the vaccine, the delivery of the vaccine … Direct money to families in difficulty would be useful and part of the extension of unemployment.”

But one second stimulus check with a maximum value of $ 1,200 per person might not make the cut. (And a payment could bring you Less money than before.) Those who oppose it suggest another direct payment may not be necessary in light of a next COVID-19 vaccine it signals a possible return to work and the kind of expenses that fuel the economy. however, very few people will receive the vaccine as soon as it is ready and a wider distribution in mid-2021 is still months away.

After months of fruitless debate, what does it mean if another stimulus checks born come? We took a look at what other benefits a new stimulus package could bring you, even without $ 1,200 per qualified adult. This story is regularly updated with new information.

Thinner Bill Could Further Increase Weekly Federal Unemployment Checks

the CARES Law in March authorized $ 600 more per week in unemployment money for unemployed people. When this program ended in July, President Donald Trump signed an executive action which extended payments until the end of the year to an extra $ 300 per week, until Dec.31 or until the money for each state runs out. With the total number of unemployed claiming benefits as high as 20 million, the government reported this month, a renewal of federal unemployment assistance could directly help millions of people pay rent, food and pay. other essential goods.

Small businesses could get financing to pay workers’ wages

The Payroll Protection Program, which is also part of the CARES Act, was designed to help keep workers employed by providing forgivable loans to small businesses for the purpose of paying wages. This means that people who work for small companies should be more likely to keep their jobs, as their employer can get extra money to help workers stay on the books.

While recent studies suggest the payroll program has not been as effective as it could have been – with many companies using the loans on non-salary expenses and to accumulate savings, according to a study by the University of Chicago – Republicans and Democrats pushed for renewal. of the program targeting the hardest-hit small businesses.

Tenants’ protections could be renewed to end evictions

One in five tenants is not caught up with their rent during the pandemic, according to a November 20 census study in the United States, making the protections potentially catastrophic for American households. Up to 19 million people could lose their homes if eviction protection measures are not renewed. More Americans could declare personal bankruptcy.

The CARES law provided for a period of 120 days moratorium on the eviction of tenants who were behind on rent. Trump renewed the moratorium until December 31. With a Dec. 11 deadline to approve a new federal budget, lawmakers will need to act quickly to agree on a short-term solution before the new year.

Until then, here’s what we know about the state of negotiations on another economic bailout bill, what could be delay a deal and five advantages disappear unless Congress acts before the end of the year.