The current coronavirus crisis has been a unique one in that given the social distancing public health guidance, the federal government is actually trying to keep people home by design. So, it’s not exactly surprising that Congress’s $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, rushed through to “do something,” has resulted in many workers getting paid more in unemployment benefits to stay home than they would normally be earning at their jobs. This was kind of the point.
But a few Republicans, such as Sens. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, warned at the time that the CARES Act’s sharp raise in unemployment benefits, to the tune of an additional $600 a week, would create serious disincentives, discouraging those workers sidelined by the coronavirus from returning to the labor force so long as the generous benefits remained in place. Because the CARES Act senselessly extends these expansive benefits through July 31, it’s making it nearly impossible to bring any workers back into the fold until that time.
