As $600-a-Week Jobless Aid Nears End, Congress Faces a Quandary

Lawmakers must decide whether the pandemic-related payments are a vital boost to the economy or are keeping people from going back to work

Some 25 million Americans are set to lose $600 a week each in federal unemployment benefits at the end of the month, one of the thorniest issues Congress faces when it returns to Washington this week to consider another coronavirus relief bill.

Many people view the payments as a lifeline, and analysts say the $15 billion a week in federal spending has provided vital support to an economy staggering from the effects of the pandemic. But critics say the money, paid on top of regular state jobless benefits, discourages some Americans from returning to work as businesses try to reopen, holding back the recovery.

Things are about to change for the worker, the economy, and consumer spending virtually overnight. Were you a spender or a saver of your stimulus benefits?

Hosts Zack Hayes and Phil Hayes break it all down in this week's episode of Pure Speculation. Follow us on Twitter @strugglestate

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