The difference could be made up with a second stimulus check, The Post's sources said. It's a measure that congressional Republicans are also deciding whether to seek in the economic relief package set to be debated later this month. That could be targeted toward lower-income people.
But Republicans are fiercely opposed to extending the benefit. They argue it disincentivizes people from returning to work as it allows a significant share of workers to earn more from the government instead.
A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research indicated that two-thirds of laid-off workers are able to draw more from unemployment than from wages at their jobs.
National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said last month that the $600 benefit would be allowed to expire at the end of July. During a Fox Business interview on Monday, Kudlow said the Trump administration would push for "some unemployment reforms."
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin echoed Kudlow. In a Thursday CNBC interview , he said the administration would attempt to ensure benefits total "no more" than 100% of a worker's wages.
The federal $600 boost has been added on top of a state's unemployment benefits, which usually replaces around half of a person's wages. Depending on its level, significant amounts of unemployed people could still receive more from the government than their past jobs.
An analysis released in May from the conservative-leaning American Action Forum indicated that a $400 boost would lead to 53% of workers earning incomes from the government that exceed those at their previous jobs. That figure would drop to 36% if the federal government sought to enact an extra $200 per week.
The coronavirus pandemic is still raging in the US, and states like California, Texas, and Florida are in the throes of a surge in cases. Around 30,000 new cases were recorded on Monday, The New York Times reported , and leaders of those three states suggested they may institute new lockdowns.
The economic environment remains very uncertain as a result. The US has regained around 7.3 million jobs since the outbreak of the pandemic, roughly a third of the amount shed since March.