OnPolitics: Do you need more federal help?

Monday, May 11

Coronavirus: The question everybody is asking

As the nation heads into pockets of re-openings around the country, people and local governments are asking if more federal help is coming. Maybe?

Is more help coming?

President Donald Trump and congressional leaders have pitched a number of proposals they argue are essential to a new coronavirus relief plan to combat the effects of the coronavirus. The result: A grab bag of ideas without a deal.

Trump wants a payroll tax cut that Democrats have flat-out opposed. Democrats are adamant about more funding for state and local governments. And some Republicans would rather wait and see how the nearly $3 trillion in already approved relief pans out before moving forward with more.

Pressure to reconcile the competing plans could intensify as Trump and lawmakers regroup after the country's unemployment rate reached nearly 15% last week, a grim indicator underscoring the virus' toll on American businesses and workers. Officials now predict unemployment could pass 20% in the coming months, approaching the 25% rate reached during the Great Depression.

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