People are struggling — help them now

Enhanced jobless benefits — the lifeline for millions left out of work during this pandemic — are over. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has chosen to sit on a stimulus package the House of Representatives passed in May. At the time, he said, “We have not yet felt the urgency of acting immediately.”

Among other measures, the $3 trillion House legislation would have continued assistance for those left unemployed because of COVID-19 and the subsequent shutdown of much of the economy. These dollars allow people to pay their bills, afford rent, buy food and otherwise survive this calamitous period.

McConnell did nothing — not even take up the bill to whip it into something his party could support. The $3 trillion legislation, the HEROES Act, definitely could have been pared down.

Democrats used it to make points about the need to shore up the U.S. Post Office and repeal unfair tax policy for wealthy Americans who live in blue states. A serious Senate, one that cared about the well-being of the American people, might have set to work negotiating better legislation months ago instead of waiting until the last minute. A serious House might have passed legislation more palatable to the GOP Senate. Neither happened.

Instead, with days before enhanced unemployment benefits were to expire and people lost the extra $600 a week, Republicans in the Senate began pressing for a deal despite having wasted the preceding months.

Complicating the negotiations? Republicans and President Donald Trump did not agree on what should be in a second stimulus package. If the GOP can’t agree, there is little hope that Democrats will sign on. Thrown in the administration’s stimulus proposal was $1.75 billion for a new FBI headquarters, an unnecessary distraction at this point. Even Republicans balked at that one.

Talks continued over the weekend, with some progress reported on what this stimulus should contain — Republicans say they will roll out their proposal Monday. That’s little comfort to people who don’t know if they have enough money to buy food or pay rent.

The economy is barely hanging on, and one reason it has not collapsed completely is because people out of work had the extra money coming in on top of state unemployment. They could get by, and sometimes do even better. Republicans opposed to the extra check believe such largess discourages people from returning to work. With much of the economy damaged because of COVID, jobs have vanished.

Unemployed people can’t return to work if the jobs aren’t there. Left unsaid is that wages for too many people are too low — that’s why $600 a week on top of unemployment has proved such a boost.

Over the weekend, White House negotiators signaled the president no longer opposes the $600 weekly benefit. That’s progress. On Monday, the two sides need to treat this matter with the urgency it deserved in June.

Pass a second stimulus package that helps the jobless, supports small business owners, provides money to open schools safely and shores up state and local governments so they don’t have to cut necessary services just when people need them most.

Treat this matter urgently. That’s what people struggling across the country deserve.