[Mick]

There are anecdotal reports that some people are preferring to stay on unemployment than to return to work, because the extra $2400/month makes it financially more lucrative to stay unemployed.  I think that's a dumb reason to pull the supplement from everyone.  If you are really worried, you can slowly transition the extra money down; say $400 until October, then $200 until January, then off.  Even better, trigger it based on the unemployment level, so that it goes down to $400 once the unemployment rate gets down to 10%, $200 when the unemployment gets down to 8.5%, and then off when the unemployment gets down to 6%.

I think they will come to some sort of compromise; as you point out, Trump's re-election chances would be further hurt by an abrupt discontinuation of the extra unemployment benefits.

BC

People preferring to remain on the dole sounds like a Republican talking point, like welfare queens.  If that's true, it's only true on a very marginal level.  Admittedly, when I furloughed my eight, five of them will make (on a weekly basis) in the general neighborhood of what they made for our firm.  Every single one of them would be preferred to be in the office and working, rather than taking a dole check that is 2% to 5% higher than their former check.

[Mick]

There are anecdotal reports that some people are preferring to stay on unemployment than to return to work, because the extra $2400/month makes it financially more lucrative to stay unemployed.  I think that's a dumb reason to pull the supplement from everyone.  If you are really worried, you can slowly transition the extra money down; say $400 until October, then $200 until January, then off.  Even better, trigger it based on the unemployment level, so that it goes down to $400 once the unemployment rate gets down to 10%, $200 when the unemployment gets down to 8.5%, and then off when the unemployment gets down to 6%.

I think they will come to some sort of compromise; as you point out, Trump's re-election chances would be further hurt by an abrupt discontinuation of the extra unemployment benefits.

BC

People preferring to remain on the dole sounds like a Republican talking point, like welfare queens.  If that's true, it's only true on a very marginal level.  Admittedly, when I furloughed my eight, five of them will make (on a weekly basis) in the general neighborhood of what they made for our firm.  Every single one of them would be preferred to be in the office and working, rather than taking a dole check that is 2% to 5% higher than their former check.