Democrats Rebuff Trump’s Pitch For Interim Extension Of $600 Jobless Aid
With progress on a larger stimulus package at an impasse, the White House floated a short-term bill to extend the $600 unemployment benefit that expires today. House Democrats knocked down the idea.
AP:
Trump Offers, Democrats Reject Fix For $600 Jobless Benefit
With aid expiring, the White House offered a short-term extension Thursday of a $600 weekly unemployment benefit that has helped keep families and the economy afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Democrats rejected it, saying President Donald Trump’s team failed to grasp the severity of the crisis. Democratic leaders panned the idea in late-night talks at the Capitol, opting to keep the pressure on for a more sweeping bill that would deliver aid to state and local governments, help for the poor and funding for schools and colleges to address the pandemic. Without action, the benefit runs out Friday. (Taylor and Mascaro, 7/31)
The Hill:
Democrats Reject Short-Term Deal Ahead Of Unemployment Deadline
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said on Thursday night that Democrats rejected a short-term deal as negotiators remain at loggerheads over the next coronavirus relief bill. "We made a proposal for a short-term deal. And as of now they've repeated they don't want to do that," Mnuchin told reporters after a nearly two-hour meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Meadows. (Carney, 7/30)
In related news —
The Washington Post:
Public Health Experts Issue Urgent Call For Change Of Course As U.S. Economy Tanks
Public health experts called for urgent new measures Thursday to halt the spread of the coronavirus amid warnings the U.S. economy is in a historic and devastating contraction as covid-19 is killing Americans at the rate of about one every minute. The stock market took a dive after the Commerce Department reported the economy shrank by 9.5 percent in the second quarter, the biggest recorded decline since the government began keeping track 70 years ago. The government also reported jobless claims climbing again last week by 1.4 million, another sign the recovery is fizzling. GDP shrank at an annual rate of 32.9 percent, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. (Morello, 7/30)
