She is one of roughly 14 million Americans whose emergency unemployment benefits, introduced by Congress when the pandemic took hold in March, ended on Saturday. The new relief bill would extend through mid-March programs that support self-employed workers and those unemployed for more than half a year. It also gives an additional $300 a week through mid-March to all those receiving jobless benefits, some 20.3 million people. As pandemic lockdowns hammered the economy in March, Congress rushed through emergency unemployment benefits as part of the $2 trillion CARES Act. Like Meyer, most people who are no longer eligible for federal unemployment benefits will be left with no income at all, as most states offer meager assistance, he said.

Source: Mint December 27, 2020 04:52 UTC