Senate Democrats disputed Republicans’ arguments that unemployment benefits included in the latest COVID-19 relief package are the reason for the recent weak jobs report.
MCCONNELL: JOBLESS BENEFITS ‘HOLDING BACK OUR ECONOMY’
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy added just 266,000 jobs in April — well below predicted expectations. Republicans are pointing to the $300 weekly unemployment bonus included in COVID-19 relief provisions as the biggest hurdle for businesses trying to hire staff.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated in his floor remarks Monday night, “Almost every employer I spoke with specifically mentioned the extra-generous jobless benefits as a key force holding back our recovery.”
However, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders of Vermont argued, “If [businesses] are having a very difficult time attracting labor, let them pay the workers a decent wage.”
Minimum wage differs from state to state depending on the cost of living in each state and ranges from $7.25 to $15.00 an hour. In 2016, the Democrats adopted the minimum wage to be $15 per hour nationally as part of their party platform.
Fast-food chain Chipotle announced Monday it would hike restaurant salaries, resulting in a $15 average hourly wage by the end of June, and it expects to hire 20,000 additional workers.
“I don’t think anyone’s getting rich on a $300-a-week supplemental, and I think, ultimately, the way the market is supposed to work is if I want you to work for me, I’ve got to pay you a wage that attracts you. Let’s try doing that,” Sanders told the Washington Examiner.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, pointed to child care as the driving force that is keeping people from going back to work.
“I think that right now, parents are struggling to find child care, and that keeps them from being able to go back to work,” she said. “The minimum wage has not been raised in over a decade, and that makes it difficult for people to work. They look for other jobs. We need to make an investment in America’s infrastructure and people’s child care.”
Sen. Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, agreed “child care’s an impediment” that is keeping people from going back to work, but he noted that “COVID-19 is [too] because people are worried about going back to work and interacting with the virus, especially those who haven’t been back from it.”
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Casey added, “I hope it provides some degree of focus on the issue of a lot of people not being paid very high wages … I think it leads to a larger debate about wages and a minimum wage increase.”
