BUFFALO, N.Y. — An emergency relief bill to help people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic is still being negotiated in Washington.
This as certain federal programs, assisting millions of Americans are set to expire at the end of the year.
One of the big debates in Washington is what to do with unemployment benefits. The federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program expires December 31.
What will be in there in terms of unemployment assistance, and specifically the extension of pandemic relief?
"That’s a sticking point right now. I'm not sure where they are. The last time I saw Mitch [McConnell, he] was at $300 for people; [he] should back the $600, which is necessary," U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said.
2 On Your Side has heard from some employers, especially those in the restaurant industry, saying that that weekly benefit affects the incentive to work.
How does Gillibrand balance that while still offering relief and help to people?
"I don’t think there’s a lot of evidence with that to be perfectly honest, there are millions of people who are unemployed who would love to be working," Gillibrand said.
Another issue: federal aid for states.
Some Republicans have said they don’t want to bail out states that may have mismanaged their funds. Other Republicans feel differently.
"This remains a priority of mine, is to make sure that state and local does not fall out of these COVID emergency relief negotiation," Republican Congressman Tom Reed said.
Reed believes a compromise on state aid is tied to liability reform and whether businesses should be legally protected from health and safety decisions that employers made when the pandemic struck.
Senator Gillibrand doesn’t like what she’s heard on this.
"I think the liability protections are extreme. One of the things we saw over the last several months with COVID is some employers, like the meat packing industry, where they were sending workers in with no personal protective equipment," Gillibrand said.
The White House has proposed $600 stimulus checks for Americans and less funding for unemployment benefits. Many Democrats have said they want to see more help for those who are unemployed.