Gerri Willis of FOX Business on how manufacturers are doing now and Biden’s next plan, ‘Buy in America’.
Continuing a wave of executive actions, President Biden signed an order on Friday asking the Department of Labor to allow workers to receive unemployment insurance if they leave the jobs they fear will put them at risk for COVID-19.
Pointing to a Gallup survey that found that 43% of Americans live in a home where at least one member has a pre-existing illness, the White House wrote in a statement: “The president is asking the Department of Labor to consider clarifying that workers they are federally guaranteed the right to refuse jobs that could harm their health and, if they do, they will still be entitled to unemployment insurance.
Normally, workers can only receive unemployment if they are dismissed or dismissed in some cases. In certain cases, workers who have resigned for “just cause” may receive benefits. Good causes include unsafe working conditions, discrimination in the workplace, harassment, failure to pay or change in job functions.
As part of Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief proposal, federal unemployment would rise to $ 400 a week for unemployed Americans, from $ 300 a week that lawmakers approved in December.
OTHER 900,000 AMERICANS FILED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IN THE LAST WEEK
Over time, Biden would gradually eliminate the higher unemployment benefits, depending on economic and health conditions – seeking to avoid the so-called “fiscal chasm” that could deal a serious blow to American families who depend on aid. He would extend income support, scheduled to end in March, for about six months until September 2021.
Another 900,000 Americans filed for unemployment insurance for the first time last week.
WHAT’S IN THE $ 1.9 T BIDEN RELIEF PROPOSAL?
The figure is almost four times the pre-crisis level, but it is well below the peak of almost 7 million that was reached when home stay requests were first issued in March. Nearly 70 million Americans, or about 40% of the workforce, applied for unemployment insurance during the pandemic.
The number of people who continue to receive unemployment insurance fell to 5.054 million, a drop of about 127,000 compared to the previous week.
Other Americans are receiving unemployment benefits from two federal programs that Congress established with the approval of the CARES Act in March: one extends aid to self-employed individuals, temporary workers and others who are not normally eligible for benefits, and the other provides aid for those who have exhausted their state benefits.
Meghan Henney of FOX Business contributed to this report.