Congress dithers over token relief bill as 4.8 million more Americans face poverty in January
Despite claims of “good progress” and assurances of “getting a deal done,” Democratic and Republican congressional leaders adjourned Friday without passing an estimated $900 billion coronavirus relief bill. The completely inadequate bill, which is still subject to change, would reportedly provide a $300-a-week federal unemployment benefit for 10 weeks and a one-time direct payment of $600 to low- and middle-income people.
Auto workers leave the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Warren Truck Plant after the first work shift, Monday, May 18, 2020, in Warren, Mich. [Credit: AP Photo/Paul Sancya]
The short-term federal jobless benefit is 50 percent less than the $600 weekly supplement that expired on July 31, and the one-time stimulus check is only half the amount provided under the CARES Act, passed by a near-unanimous bipartisan vote in March. That bill provided some $6 trillion in low-inte
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Rashida Tlaib joins colleagues in calling for direct relief checks in next COVID-19 package pressandguide.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressandguide.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Jaime Green / The Wichita Eagle
Rianne Chavez had to start a new bartering game with her 6-year-old daughter last week: if she does her school work for 20 minutes then she can try to get just 20 minutes of paperwork done from home.
Chavez owns a massage therapy practice in Wichita, and when USD 259 sent elementary students home to remote learning last week, she had to figure out how to run her business and teach her child from home at the same time.
“The expectation is that you’re home with your kid,” she said.
Elementary-aged children in USD 259 began virtual learning last Wednesday after the Wichita school board voted Nov. 30 to send them home amid rising COVID-19 cases. Working parents scrambled to find child care options across the city or decide if someone will stay home with the kids.