The nation’s governors raised concerns on a bipartisan basis Monday about implementing President Trump’s new executive action aimed at extending enhanced unemployment insurance, and called on Congress to act instead, the Washington Post reported. But on Capitol Hill, negotiations showed no signs of life as Democrats and Republicans traded accusations about their failure to reach a deal during two weeks of talks that collapsed on Friday. In their statement, the governors pointed to “significant administrative burdens and costs” associated with attempting to implement a new plan Trump announced over the weekend, which would attempt to provide $400 weekly emergency unemployment benefits, with states required to apply for the funds and pay a quarter of the cost. The statement was issued by National Governors Association chairman Andrew M. Cuomo, the Democratic governor of New York, and vice chairman Asa Hutchinson, the Republican governor of Arkansas. "The best way forward is for the Congress and the administration to get back to the negotiating table and come up with a workable solution,” the pair wrote. Read more.
In related news, two days after President Donald Trump moved to implement scaled-down coronavirus relief to prod Congress into action, Republicans and Democrats remained deadlocked over a stimulus plan and gave no indication they were ready to head back into negotiations, Bloomberg News reported. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said yesterday that he’s spoken with “several Democrats,” but not House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer since their last negotiating session ended on Friday without any breakthrough. Starting off the week, the two sides exchanged blame but no new ideas for restarting talks. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the chamber’s floor accused Democrats of trying to gain “political leverage over the president of the United States” to push for a big stimulus package that he said includes non-coronavirus items. Schumer followed him, saying Democrats “remain ready to return to the table” but Republicans need to “meet us there halfway.” Read more.
Additionally, the Labor Department said that the federal government spent nearly $250 billion on extra $600-a-week unemployment benefits from early April to the end of July as millions of workers were laid off because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Wall Street Journal reported. Workers who permanently lost their jobs, were furloughed or had their hours cut were able to tap $600 in federal unemployment benefits on top of the amount they qualified for from the state, under a relief law Congress passed and President Trump signed in March. The benefits expired on July 31. Trump on Saturday signed an executive order that would replace the larger payments with $300 a week in enhanced unemployment benefits, and called on states to provide another $100 a week. The White House remained deadlocked yesterday over a broader pandemic relief deal with Democratic lawmakers, who said the president’s moves over the weekend were an unconstitutional breach of congressional spending powers. Individuals tapping regular state programs, the largest source of benefits, at the beginning of August saw weekly payments decline to near the $332 average weekly payment made under those programs in the past year. Self-employed and gig workers — who don’t usually qualify for unemployment assistance — saw a steeper decline in payments. Read more. (Subscription required.)
