Half of US States to End Weekly $300 Unemployment Benefits as COVID-19 Vaccination Progresses

The federal government approved the $300 weekly unemployment benefit during the first month of President Joe Biden. The main goal of the financial aid is to make sure that unemployed residents in the country who are qualified to receive the unemployment benefit will be financially supported amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a published report in Reuters, Republican lawmakers attempted to block the bill. They firmly believed that it will just lead to more unemployment since most of the Americans will become dependent on the unemployment benefit and will no longer work.

None of the Republican lawmakers voted for this measure when it was proposed both in the House of Congress and Senate. Additionally, the Democratic and Republican lawmakers continue to debate the proposed Infrastructure Bill of Biden.

Number of Vaccinated Americans Increased

In a recently published article in The Hill, Republican governors made the decision following the announcement that the number of vaccinated Americans and residents in the country continues to increase.

The weekly unemployment benefits were lauded as a critical component of the country's response to the epidemic. However, as the vaccine campaign in the United States advances, the payouts have become the focus of a political struggle among politicians on how to lift the country out of its present economic slump, according to a published article in CNET.

The most recent state to end the unemployment benefit is Maryland. On Tuesday, Maryland, headed by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, became the 25th state to declare the termination of the weekly $300 COVID-19 unemployment payments.

Businesses Support End of Unemployment Benefits

A chorus of Republican state officials and corporate lobbying organizations are now suggesting that the checks should be phased out since they are prompting individuals to turn down decent jobs, leaving firms without the workforce required to reopen.

However, the Biden administration, Democrats, labor, activists, and a small group of economists disagree with that assessment. They claim that a significant portion of the workforce is still jobless due to a shortage of child care, fear of illness, and poor earnings.

Furthermore, White House officials are allegedly worried that terminating the benefits too soon, before widespread vaccination efforts are done, could harm employees and the economy, both of which are still recovering from the pandemic's detrimental consequences.

The White House believes there is now a labor shortage in the United States. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that "It will take time for employees to rebuild trust in the safety of the workplace."

Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi, and Missouri will cease sending payments on June 12. Checks will be phased away in the remaining 21 GOP-led states until July 10. Workers may still be eligible for standard state unemployment benefits. However, the requirements differ.

According to Department of Labor figures, around 2.8 million individuals are receiving pandemic benefits in the 25 states that are slated to end them on May 8. A recent working paper issued last month by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco stated that the extra $300 in emergency unemployment benefits has little impact on claimants' desire to work.