WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits remained stuck at 1.3 million last week, an historically high level that indicates many companies are still cutting jobs as the viral outbreak intensifies.
The elevated level of applications for jobless aid is occurring as new confirmed cases of coronavirus are spiking across much of the Sunbelt, threatening to weaken the economic recovery.
Case counts are rising in 40 states and 22 states have either paused or reversed their efforts to reopen their economies, according to Bank of America.
Meantime, Congress is eyeing new virus aid as school and health crisis deepens.
As a counter-off to House Democrats’ $3 trillion COVID-19 aid package. are poised Senate Republicans are poised to roll out their $1 trillion counteroffer. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged Wednesday that the virus is “not going away” as Congress races to figure out a national strategy to stem the pandemic and economic fallout.
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McConnell says this morning in Shelbyville, Ky. that “there were some that hoped” that the virus would go away but it’s not. “I think the straight talk here that everyone needs to understand is this is not going away.”
Republicans now face a potentially more dire situation. They had hoped the pandemic would ease, but instead, coronavirus cases are spiking, states are resuming shutdowns and parents are wondering if it’s safe to send their children back to school.
Polling shows Americans are increasingly uneasy over President Donald Trump’s handling of the virus outbreak, and lawmakers are racing to ease the health and economic crises before they, too, face voters in November.
