Are you sure you want to delete this post?
The additional $600-a-week unemployment benefits Americans have been receiving the past few months is set to expire at the end of the day, with Congress miles apart from striking a deal to reinstate them. That's bad news for the hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of Americans currently receiving the additional weekly support.
I'm not going to sugarcoat anything here. This is going to hurt everyday Americans no matter their political affiliation or region of the country they live in. This money has helped people unemployed for no fault of their own keep food on the table, pay their rent on time, and continue to have the lights on.
This lapse will have a lasting impact even if the Congress eventually is able to strike a deal and retroactively deposit whatever funds someone lost during the impasse. That's because rent and many bills are due now. A retroactive payment doesn't help much if a tenant is evicted or if their lights or water are turned off.
I feel I should offer what I personally think will happen. (To be clear - I am offering my own opinion here). Senators are going to hear from their constituents over the weekend. By early next week it will become nearly impossible for the Senate to continue dragging their feet over this. They may move to do a standalone unemployment extension bill that doesn't include a stimulus check or anything else, which the House will almost certainly reject. Then the Senate will move to pass a bigger relief package that is far less than what the House passed. Another 3-5 days of negotiations with the House will follow before a final package of around $2 trillion is passed.
All the while, Americans who relied on the additional $600/week to help keep a roof over their head and food on the table will be watching from the sidelines.