What Unemployment Insurance Tells Us About Work During A Pandemic
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One of the most expensive provisions in President Biden's COVID-19 relief plan involves giving unemployed workers an added $300 per week, through September 6th, on top of their existing state unemployment insurance benefits. While the House version of the bill called for $400 per week, this was revised down to $300 in the Senate proposal, due to a last that an extra $400 per week was too much, and could stifle people's motivation to find jobs. "We want people to get back to work," he said. "We're going to have a hard time getting people ready to go back in and keep the economy going." Seems like basic economics: if you make nearly as much money as you do working, then why would you work?
