Washington to pay unemployment benefit after delay of federal coronavirus package wenatcheeworld.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wenatcheeworld.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Alicia Adamczyk, CNBC •
Updated on December 28, 2020 at 1:39 pm
Al Drago | Getty Images News | Getty Images
President Donald Trump signed another coronavirus relief bill into law after almost a week of suggesting he would veto it. And while the bill, which Trump called a disgrace, extends unemployment benefits for millions into 2021, his five-day hesitation to sign it may cost those people a week of benefits, unemployment experts say, and millions more an extra $300 from the federal government.
The $900 billion relief bill, signed by Trump on Sunday night, extends two key jobless programs the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs through March 14. It also resurrects enhanced unemployment benefits, adding $300 per week from the federal government to an individual s state benefits.
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President Donald Trump finally signed the $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill nearly a week after it was passed by Congress.
The delay meant that unemployed Americans could have missed a week of the $300 supplemental unemployment insurance the bill provides.
However, the Department of Labor told The Hill and CNBC on Tuesday that payments would continue as planned.
With nearly 20 million Americans receiving some form of unemployment benefits as of early December, a lapse in the supplemental insurance would have added up to almost $6 billion in foregone payments.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump finally signed the $900 billion COVID-19 relief package and $1.4 trillion omnibus package funding the government and avoiding a shutdown.
Washington to Pay Unemployment Benefit in Absence of Federal Coronavirus Package chronline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chronline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The $900 billion COVID-19 bill President Trump
The measure renews some programs that briefly lapsed, while providing new aid for struggling households and small businesses.
Here are answers to some of the most important questions about the legislation.
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When will people start receiving jobless benefits provided by the bill?
Millions of Americans may need to wait several weeks before they start receiving some unemployment benefits included in the bill, many of which are extensions from the CARES Act in late March.
The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program was renewed Sunday to provide further relief for gig workers, contractors and others who don’t qualify for traditional jobless benefits. The bill also renewed Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which provides up to 13 weeks of unemployment aid to workers who have already exhausted state benefits.