After nearly a year and a half, the government has declared an end to the pandemic unemployment assistance program, in which millions of Americans who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic received monetary help. With over 11 million Americans being affected by this recent expiration, many are left scared and wondering what will come in the winter months ahead.
This program began as a form of monetary assistance for the American public affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, whether that be because they lost their employment or had a shortage in their regular work hours. It provided temporary relief for working families to make ends meet throughout the crisis the country has now suffered for over a year. Since the start of the pandemic back in January 2020, the federal government has spent over $800 billion in COVID-19 relief funds of all sorts, from unemployment programs to rental assistance and other benefits for those affected by the pandemic.
Now, many families will be losing this help indefinitely or will see a significant reduction in their assistance. It has been officially declared by The Centory Foundation that around nine million Americans throughout the countries will be losing this monthly help, while another three million will be seeing a significant reduction of more than $300 in their check.
Many families have already been feeling the loss since the beginning of summer 2021, when around “two dozen states ending the benefits as governors claimed the extra unemployment insurance was disincentivizing residents from taking available jobs.” The problem isn’t that there aren’t any available jobs, because there are; the issue more so revolves around the health risks with many fearing for their health and their loved ones as well.
To add more fuel to the fire, the Delta variant continues to surge around the country as restrictions in each state seem to be growing less restrictive with their COVID-19 safety precautions. The rise in cases occurring weekly with this new variant put a threat on any soon possible economic recovery, putting it on hold until further notice. This could also lead to undesirable lay-offs for many Americans who have begun to enter the workforce again despite the circumstances.
Luckily, there are still other relief programs that may be of use for the families being affected; one plan, in particular, was recently proposed in August 2021 with a budget of about $3.5 trillion. The plan was first proposed by Democrats to provide child tax credits, paid familial and medical leave, as well as affordable housing. This plan was created with the hopes of providing some sort of relief for families with children and/or dependents this year. If this proposed plan ends up going into effect, many Americans would be able to feel at ease in the incoming months as they continue to look for employment opportunities and might be able to make ends meet.
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