COVID-19 and the Economy

During his announcement of the “American Rescue Plan,” President-elect Joe Biden pushed for the minimum wage in the United States to be raised to at least $15 an hour.

President-elect Joe Biden is unveiling a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan aimed at speeding up the vaccine rollout and providing financial help to individuals, states and local governments and businesses.

The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs.

On Monday, Biden maintained that getting money into the hands of Americans is a top priority when he takes office.

Legislation providing for the $600 payments, which was approved by lawmakers at the end of last month, stipulated that the departments needed to issue all payments by Friday.

Senate Democrats plan to make another coronavirus relief package — including sending an additional stimulus payment to many Americans — one of their top priorities for the year once they assume control of the chamber.

President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team said he plans to extend a suspension of student loan payments due to financial hardships posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on “day one,” and he also favors forgiving $10,000 in student loan debt.

U.S. employers shed jobs last month for the first time since April, cutting 140,000 positions, clear evidence that the economy is faltering as the viral pandemic tightens its grip on consumers and businesses.

Democrats pledged to deliver $2,000 stimulus checks to Americans as soon as possible after winning control of the Senate with a pair of victories in Georgia's runoff elections.

While the IRS and Treasury have distributed the bulk of the anticipated $164 million in second-round of relief payments for Americans faster than the first time, millions have not gotten payments yet or found hiccups in the distribution.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell slightly to 787,000, evidence of a job market stumbling in the face of the viral pandemic and the damage it has inflicted on the economy for nearly 10 months.

Parents who had one or more children born in 2020 could receive up to $1,100 in extra stimulus money per child, according to IRS guidelines.

The Internal Revenue Service has launched an online tool to help you check the status of your second stimulus payment.

Sen. McConnell and other Republicans scuttled efforts for a standalone vote.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy launched a fundraising effort with the nonprofit 30 Day Fund for small businesses impacted by COVID-19 called "The Barstool Fund, contributing $500,000 of his own money toward the effort.

Senate majority leader has tied $2,000 checks to Section 230 repeal and an election security commission