PA Democrats Push For Congress To Extend $600 Weekly Payments

PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania lawmakers are calling on Congress to "act quickly" to continue the $600 weekly federal unemployment payments. Gov. Tom Wolf, who called the benefit a "lifeline for Pennsylvanians," said terminating the payments will be devastating for both residents and the overall economy.

In a joint news release Friday, U.S. Senator Bob Casey and Gov. Wolf said they are imploring Congressional Republicans "to do the right thing and pass an extension of this critical program.”

The federal pandemic unemployment program ended on July 25. Lawmakers in Washington are at odds on the next coronavirus relief package, and the $600 payment is a central point of contention. Negotiations stalled Friday, and President Donald Trump said later in the day he was considering taking executive action on relief measures. It is not clear what those actions will be, or when he plans on making them.

According to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, more than 2 million residents received $15 billion from the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.

Each day that goes by without an agreement on expanded benefits has serious impacts on Pennsylvanians, Labor and Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak said.

“For every week that Congress delays and fails to extend this program, Pennsylvanians lose $1 billion in support. That’s money we can’t afford to lose," Oleksiak said.

Congressional Democrats are in support of extending the $600 weekly payment through January. Republicans countered with a proposal to lower the payment to $200 a week until state unemployment offices can deploy a system that would provide payments based on 70 percent of a person's pre-layoff income.

The White House has reportedly proposed providing $400 per week into December, according to CNBC.