Joe Biden Expresses Willingness to Extend Unemployment Benefit Despite Labor Shortage

President Joe Biden said the July jobs data show that his measures are helping the U.S. economy rebound from the pandemic. Restaurant and bar employment accounted for 253,000 of the new jobs added last month.

Like they were before the coronavirus lockdowns, the hotel and leisure businesses are the most significant drivers to job growth. Biden said that the highly contagious disease is wreaking havoc on the country, and he encouraged unvaccinated Americans to be vaccinated.

The White House reiterated unemployment benefit's expiration

However, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that Biden is open to extending a $300 weekly unemployment benefits supplement that companies claim has produced a labor scarcity. Still, he hasn't made up his mind. Critics argue that the boost, which is due to expire in the first week of September, has made it difficult for low-wage workers to return to work.

Psaki dismissed a reporter's claim that 26 states, including Florida, Ohio, Texas, and Georgia, had cut off enhanced unemployment benefits early, resulting in a surprisingly good monthly jobs report issued Friday. She also attributed the economic resurgence to widespread COVID-19 vaccination, which resulted in 943,000 new jobs in July, surpassing forecasts and lowering the unemployment rate to 5.4 percent.

The current $300 weekly unemployment benefit was established by a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus plan that passed Congress in March without a single Republican vote, maintaining the $300 weekly supplement signed into law by former President Donald Trump in December. Left-wing legislators are likely to urge Biden to prolong the more generous unemployment benefits, following a triumph last week in persuading him to extend an evictions moratorium, NY Post reported.

The July jobs data outperformed forecasts by 943,000 jobs, faster wage growth, and a larger reduction in unemployment than forecast. It's another evidence of a stronger recovery, with the US gaining employment for the seventh consecutive month, as per Business Insider via MSN.

Marty Walsh, the Secretary of Labor, spoke with Insider about the strong report and why it was so excellent. He doesn't believe it's because 26 states have opted out of federal unemployment benefits ahead of schedule. Most of those states' early terminations were factored in for the first time in the July report.

He credited the increases in June and July to the Biden administration's substantial expenditures. When questioned about several Republican governors' choice to stop federal unemployment benefits early following April's dismal jobs report - in many states, both the additional $300 a week as well as programs that increased eligibility and duration - Walsh said he hadn't seen any evidence of that.

In total, 26 states, except Louisiana, have terminated the federal unemployment benefit before September. Early statistics back up Walsh's claim that vaccination rates have aided in employment recovery.

According to an analysis by economist Luke Pardue of payroll platform Gusto, workers returned at significantly greater rates in areas with higher vaccination rates when unemployment benefits were terminated early. Vaccination rates were a larger influence in keeping workers out of the workforce than increased unemployment benefits.

Biden says the increase in COVID-19 cases is a threat to the economy

Biden avoided the temptation to do a victory lap after announcing vital July jobs data, instead of reminding the country that increasing COVID-19 cases represent an immediate threat to the economy's recovery. Coronavirus' extremely infectious Delta variant is responsible for at least 80% of new infections in the United States.

The White House is afraid that increasing COVID-19 caseloads would stymie the economy, jeopardizing Biden's domestic program and Democrats' chances in the November elections. After months of relying on incentives, celebrity endorsements, and local outreach to encourage Americans to get vaccinated, the Biden administration stepped up its game this week, adding sticks to the traditional carrot-and-stick equation.

Employees who can't show they've been vaccinated will face many negative consequences at work, including being physically separated from their vaccinated coworkers. The Pentagon recently announced that the COVID-19 vaccine would be included in the list of required vaccinations for US military personnel.

Biden didn't mention these steps in his speech on Friday, instead of focusing on the administration's efforts to safeguard the economy's recovery, as per CNBC.