Liberal and moderate Democrats reached a deal that would scale back federal unemployment benefits in a COVID-19 aid bill to $300 per week, from the proposed $400, a Senate Democratic aide said on Friday.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate said Friday they had resolved their differences over unemployment aid in President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid bill, enabling them to move forward with the sweeping package after hours of delay.
The U.S. jobs hole created by the pandemic is deeper than the crater dug by the 2008 financial crisis and the economy needs more support to ensure a speedy recovery, a top White House economic adviser told Reuters on Friday.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. Senate said Friday they had resolved their differences over unemployment aid in President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid bill, enabling them to move forward with the sweeping package after hours of delay.
The deal would scale back the level of jobless benefits provided in the version of the bill that passed the House of Representatives last week and set up new tax breaks for people receiving them, according to Democratic aides.
“We have reached a compromise that enables the economy to rebound quickly while also protecting those receiving unemployment benefits from being hit with (an) unexpected tax bill next year,” said Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, a key centrist who had pushed to scale back the aid.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it will boost sampling of foods for babies and young children and increase inspections after a congressional report found "dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals" in some baby foods that it said could cause neurological.