The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Conn. applies for Trump unemployment funds
WASHINGTON — An estimated 250,000 unemployed Connecticut resident may soon receive a fresh influx of $300 per week in federal pandemic unemployment benefits, after Connecticut joined a short list of states that have applied for grant money made available by President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on unemployment.
“This will bring some much-needed assistance to Connecticut workers who have lost jobs due to the coronavirus,” Gov. Ned Lamont said Friday. “It will add $300 to a claimant’s existing weekly benefit for as long as federal funds are available and help fill the hole left when the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program expired on July 26.”
Although Trump signed his executive order launching a new $300 per week federal unemployment benefit on Aug. 8, only 14 states have applied for and been approved to receive money to distribute the benefit, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A wave of at least nine states including Connecticut have applied for the federal money over the last two days.
Connecticut’s Department of Labor estimated that it will start to distribute the $300 per week payments — on top of the average state unemployment benefit of $269 per week — in mid-September.
The news comes as over 1 million people filed for unemployment across the country last week. Connecticut’s reported unemployment rate has averaged 9.2 percent over the past three months — although the state’s labor economist indicates the actual rate is much higher. About 300,000 ongoing weekly unemployment claims are filed to the state each week, which translates to between 15 percent and 20 percent of the state workforce.
But the continuing high levels of unemployment have not pushed Congress toward a deal on a longterm extension of federal unemployment benefits. Trump’s $300-per-week assistance program is a several week band-aid only.
This week, over 117 House Democrats called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to pass a new unemployment bill Saturday, when the House will break its August recess to approve legislation to prevent changes to the U.S. Postal Service. Some moderate Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, urged Pelosi to devise a new economic relief package that would serve as a compromise with Republicans and bring it forward Saturday.
But Pelosi rejected the ideas Thursday night.
“We must consider their timing and strategic value,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to Democrats. “They cannot come at the expense of addressing the priorities of the Heroes Act — particularly support for our heroes in state and local government and education, who are in crisis.”
After two weeks of daily negotiations, talks between Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stalled on Aug. 7, prompting Trump to issue a few executive orders related to the pandemic. Democrats and Republicans have been unable to get close to a deal for further legislation since.
Previously, federal benefits gave unemployed workers $600 per week during the pandemic, until the benefit expired in July. Republicans have supported continuing unemployment benefits but with a lower payment than $600 per week, raising concerns that the benefit could make it hard for employers to hire back workers who make more on unemployment that from their wages. Democrats insist that the benefit should remain $600 per week for longer.
It’s one of several issues locking Democrats and Republicans in a high stakes staring contest, each side willing the other to blink first. Other stumbling blocks include aid for state and local governments, schools and federal business liability protections.
“It’s imperative that the Trump administration reach an agreement with Congress on comprehensive legislation that provides stable and long-term funding to supplement weekly unemployment benefits,” Lamont urged Friday night.