A letter to the chairmen of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees holds the answers. In it, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Labor Secretary Martin Walsh explain the rationale behind allowing what they call “a critical lifeline for millions of Americans who were unemployed, through no fault of their own during the COVID pandemic” even as that pandemic takes a turn for the worse.
The Reasons Biden’s Admin is Letting Unemployment Expire:
“Our nation is getting back to work”
States can use the federal relief funds they control on unemployment benefits
two dozen GOP-controlled states that opted out of federal unemployment assistance early
Delta variant poses only short-term challenges
Delta variantthe dramatic slowdown in vaccinations per daya dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases last year
Congress will pass unemployment insurance reform as part of the reconciliation process
budget reconciliation negotiations$6 trillion budget
