With the majority of aid to American households set to expire at the end of the month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said republicans might not be able to come to an agreement on a new round in the near future, leaving millions of Americans in uncertainty, reports the Washington Post.
Rent relief programs and federal unemployment supplemental programs are set to end as of midnight Friday, which could cascade into a flurry of evictions and unpaid bills that would snowball into a further crippled economy.
Currently, 30 million Americans are on unemployment assistance and a million new claims being submitted weekly, the $600 weekly supplement has allowed people to pay for living expenses, providing stability to millions of families.
In July, one-third of households did not make rent or mortgage payments. With rent assistance and eviction protections ending August 1st, thousands of families could face losing their housing.
McConnell and republicans are arguing among themselves about the assistance programs. One faction feels that the supplements and protections disincentivize people from rejoining the workforce, so they want to eliminate them entirely. Others are more humane, understanding the importance of helping American families, but still desiring to cut assistance during the pandemic.
“Hopefully we can come together behind some package we can agree on in the next few weeks,” McConnell said at an event in Ashland, Kentucky, having already left Washington to campaign.