One of the most progressive lawmakers in the House and one of the most conservative in the Senate, staring down a pandemic-driven unemployment rate at its highest level since the Great Depression, have come to the same conclusion: It’s time for the federal government to cover workers’ salaries, the New York Times reported. As Congress prepares to wage a new battle over how to best aid workers and businesses devastated by the coronavirus crisis, Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R.-Mo.) are both making the case to their party’s leaders that guaranteed income programs should be part of the federal relief effort. Jayapal’s bill would cover workers’ salaries up to $90,000 for up to six months — allowing businesses to rehire furloughed and laid-off employees — and distribute grants to businesses to cover operating costs. It would cost $654 billion over six months and benefit more than 36 million workers, according to an analysis by Moody’s prepared for her office. Hawley has introduced a similar proposal mirroring the British government’s plan that would cover 80 percent of employers’ payroll costs up to the median wage, about $49,000 a year. A companion bill that Hawley introduced goes further, providing families and single parents making less than $100,000 with a monthly check for the duration of the crisis.
