On the recordMarch 25, 2020
That is not my announcement. That is the announcement of President Trump. I believe it. When you look at all the people now filing for unemployment, when you look at the hardships they are facing, the lifestyles they have had to live to try to comply with shelter-in-place and all the rules that are going on out there, the number of people filing these unemployment insurance claims, they tell us the reality of the situation. The notion, as you said, $9,600 times three--three times 4 months basically comes out to about $30,000 a year, roughly. That is what the $600 is calculated to mean on an annual basis. So, on a 4-month basis, if we end up giving people an extra $1,000 or $2,000, it is not inconsistent with what the Trump administration says they want to do with their cash payment. In the meantime, if we are going to move forward--and I hope this crisis comes to an end quickly-- if we are going to move forward into a new phase--phase 4, phase 5, whatever it is--let's work together to try to upgrade these systems, to make them work the way we want them to work. But in the meantime, wouldn't we want to err on the side of standing with working families and their employees? Wouldn't we want to do that in this first effort? I think it is the reasonable and thoughtful way to do it.
