Out-of-work Michiganders will no longer receive an additional $600 weekly federal unemployment benefit after this week.
Weekly unemployment benefits will revert to the standard state amount after July 25, capped at $362 in Michigan. Federal coronavirus relief provided in the CARES Act secured extra payments to support people laid off due to the pandemic, but Congress did not act to extend the additional benefits before they are set to expire.
Michigan is among a handful of states that experienced the swiftest bounce back in employment as businesses are bringing back workers after months of coronavirus shutdowns, but unemployment remains high. Michigan’s unemployment rate dropped from 21% in May to 14.8% in June, the highest level of unemployment recorded in any month since 1982.
There were 732,038 Michiganders out of work at end of June, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. An additional 24,897 Michigan residents filed unemployment claims for the week ending on July 11.
The U.S. House voted to extend the extra $600 unemployment benefit through January 2021 under a provision of the Heroes Act passed in May, but the U.S. Senate did not take up the measure.
U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, joined House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a Friday press conference pushing the Senate to continue the extra benefits. Kildee noted the national unemployment rate is worse than the Great Recession of just over a decade ago.
“In my home state, it’s one of the worst-hit states, over 2 million Michiganders have lost their jobs,” Kildee said. “We passed a bill that protects these important benefits ... for months, Republicans have failed to act.”
Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, July 24, 2020, on the extension of federal unemployment benefits. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)AP
Kildee read a series of statements from constituents who pleaded with the congressman to keep their unemployment benefits intact.
“This pandemic is not over,” Kildee said. “This is no time to tell the American people ‘you’re on your own.’”
All but one of Michigan’s six Republican congressmen voted against the Heroes Act, and therefore against extending the $600 unemployment benefit. U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Dryden, did not vote on the bill, and former Republican U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, L-Cascade Township, voted against it.
Michigan’s seven Democratic representatives in the U.S. House voted to pass the Heroes Act.
Economists and the Congressional Budget Office agree that unemployment will remain high through 2021, even under the best conditions. Meanwhile, some states like Michigan are reinstating certain business restrictions due to a rise in new coronavirus cases.
While 4.8 million Americans returned to work last month, the U.S. Department of Labor reported 18 million people remained unemployed at the end of June. The national unemployment rate sat at 11% in June.
Michelle Evermore, senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project, told MLive earlier this month that the unemployment benefit “kept the economy afloat” while people were required to stay home. The extra payment was critical to ensuring out-of-work Americans could cover their bills and make consumer purchases, she said.
President Donald Trump has threatened to veto the bill, but expressed support for another round of stimulus checks.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is considering a second round of direct payments to households instead. McConnell told reporters this month the additional payment was “a mistake,” saying the pandemic assistance makes it more difficult to get people to return to work.
How to file for Michigan unemployment benefits
PREVENTION TIPS
In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.
Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.
Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued an executive order requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while inside enclosed, public spaces.
Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
READ MORE:
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Michigan unemployment checks will shrink as extra $600 benefit expires this weekend - MLive.com
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