Vice President Mike Pence said eligible Americans with direct deposit set up with the IRS will begin to see their paychecks under the CARES Act at the end of next week. The average family of four, Pence said, can expect to see roughly $3,400.
The vice president gave the update during Thursday’s Coronavirus Task Force briefing. Mr. Trump also reiterated that student loan payments will be waived for six months, as the nation deals with the severe economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
“Previously we waived student loan payments for six months, so student loan payments have been waived for six months, and we’ll discuss it after that. May go further,” Mr. Trump said, extending a 60-day waiving of student loans announced in late March.
The president told reporters present Thursday that he doesn’t think pervasive testing across the country is needed, but would be nice to have. Vice President Mike Pence said the nation is testing 100,000 people a day, and has topped testing 2 million people. More than 16,000 Americans have died due to COVID-19, and the number of confirmed cases is approaching half a million. But social distancing, Pence said, is paying off, as the U.S. appears to be reaching a leveling off of cases in some places. New York, for instance, is seeing a decrease in hospitalizations.
“There are signs of progress. And hope abounds,” he said.
At Wednesday’s briefing, President Trump said he doesn’t want to give a date for reopening the economy, even as he expresses a desire for that to happen as soon as possible.
The director of the CDC, Dr. Robert Redfield, also announced Wednesday new guidance for essential health care workers who have been exposed to the coronavirus. These individuals, who have been within six feet of either a confirmed or suspected case “can go back to work,” Redfield said. But they must take their temperature before going to work, wear a face mask “at all times, and practice social distancing when they’re at work.” He recommended that they not gather in break rooms and crowded areas. Their employers are to take the employee’s temperature, assess symptoms, increase air exchange in buildings and the frequency of cleaning of common surfaces.
More than 10 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in March, and roughly 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment in the week that ended April 4, the Department of Labor announced Thursday. To provide a lifeline to families and businesses ailing because of the coronavirus outbreak, Congress last month passed a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill, and congressional Democrats have started crafting a fourth legislative package.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to ask for unanimous consent Thursday morning to pass additional emergency funding for small businesses through the government’s Paycheck Protection Program, a key pillar of the $2.2 trillion package that aims to ensure workers are not laid off.
But Democrats have countered with their own list of demands beyond the $250 billion for businesses, including more money for hospitals, state and local governments and food assistance, setting up a potential showdown between lawmakers as they rush to alleviate the pain for Americans.
