Under executive orders President Donald Trump signed Saturday US workers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic will be eligible for an extra US$400 a week of jobless benefits. Trump’s orders on Saturday encroached on Congress’ control of federal spending and seemed likely to be met with legal challenges. Trump moved to continue paying a supplemental federal unemployment benefit for millions of Americans out of work during the outbreak. The previous unemployment benefit, which expired on August 1, was fully funded by Washington, but Trump is asking states to now cover 25 percent. Many states already faced budget shortfalls due to the coronavirus pandemic and would have difficulty assuming the new obligation.

Source: The Standard August 09, 2020 05:02 UTC