My husband came back from grocery store to say that shelves were emptying again. I tried to figure out why a 4+ month pandemic would have people go crazy again. Then I realized that it wasn't the virus, it was the checks. Or lack thereof really.
As of today, July 26th, the last of the unemployment checks will go out to those unemployed due to the corona virus. About 31 million people are still on record as unemployed and the policy preventing evictions is set to end as well. Although jobs are opening back up, states like Arizona, Texas and Florida are closing back down due to a spike in new cases.
Long story short, to solve the problem, the Democratic party wants another round of stimulus checks and a long term extension of additional 600$ payments to last until Jan. 2021. The Republicans are worried that because the checks pay people more than they would get paid at work, unemployment would remain low and people would take advantage. They instead suggest that that benefits should extend only a few more months are give only about 200$ a week to those who make a certain amount of money. That's a loss of $1,600 a month.
This back and forth has been going on for weeks and with the benefits maxed out for over 20 million Americans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says that an agreement would still take several weeks.
The newly trending line "Mitch better have my Money" shows people's concern for what it means if they don't have that additional pay. What happens if you don't get that extension #gayes? I myself have been unemployed since March and don't think I'll last very long with 154$ in state unemployment (Thanks, North Carolina).
Right now grocery stores are being overrun as people spend their last big paychecks to stock up on food and paper products. ABC news spoke on how there was an increase in crime with people targeting mail for stimulus checks and unemployment checks. It's not hard to imagine cars and homes will be next. Hope everyone was saving their money instead of flaunting it.
With school opening up, the hospitals having to report their cases to the White House now, and government squabbles with no end in sight, it doesn't look like 2020 will be getting any easier. Now that this is the end (the end of paychecks, not the world - I think) how much do you think it would cost to keep a roof over your head? Tell us what the extension in government aid would mean to you.