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Economy

New Unemployment Claims Rise For Fourth Week In A Row

| Posted in Press Releases

Labor Department statistics this morning showed that initial unemployment claims rose again, for the fourth week in a row, to just under 1.6 million total. This report marks the 24th week in a row with more initial jobless claims than any week of the Great Recession, and points again to a stalling economic recovery amid declining government stimulus. While some headlines wrongly reported…

Beyer, Ways And Means Democrats Seek Clarity From Administration On Bewildering Payroll Tax Order

| Posted in Press Releases

17 House Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee today sent an oversight letter to the Trump Administration seeking clarity on the chaotic rollout of the President’s executive order on deferral of payroll taxes. In their letter, which was led by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), the Representatives pointed to contradictory statements and publications by Trump Administration officials in the…

Federal workers will have taxes deferred under Trump’s order, sparking outcry they’re being treated as a ‘guinea pig’

| Posted in Articles

Originally published at the Washington Post Federal workers will have taxes deferred under Trump’s order, sparking outcry they’re being treated as a ‘guinea pig’ Few businesses so far have shown interest in adopting Trump’s payroll tax deferral By Tony Romm and Eric Yoder September 2, 2020 at 8:24 a.m. EDT The U.S. government will implement an…

Beyer: Trump Payroll Tax Move “Treats The Federal Workforce As A Guinea Pig For A Bad Policy”

| Posted in Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer today blasted the Trump Administration’s announcement that it may soon begin deferring withholding payroll taxes in September for federal employees, a move that could hit thousands with unanticipated large tax bills next year. Beyer, who represents the largest number of federal employees of any U.S. Representative, serves on the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select…

Trump Administration Fails To Deliver Aid To The Unemployed

| Posted in Press Releases

August 25, 2020 (Washington, D.C.) – Monday marked two weeks since Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin predicted states would have the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) unemployment program created by Executive Order up and running within two weeks, but only two states—representing less than 10 percent of national continuing unemployment insurance claims—reported having actually…

DOL Guidance: Trump’s Unemployment Order Requires States To Create New Administrative System From Scratch

| Posted in Press Releases

Five days after it was issued, President Trump’s executive order on unemployment has only succeeded in creating mass confusion for states, frustrating governors, and infuriating unemployed workers. Far from providing assistance to American families “immediately,” the order is unlikely to help anyone anytime soon. Last night the Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance telling states how…

Trump’s Fig Leaf Executive Orders Will Not Avert Economic Disaster

| Posted in Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer, the top-ranking Member of the House on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, today issued the following statement on President Trump’s Executive Orders on the economy announced over the weekend: “Beyond the constitutional and legal issues which the President’s Executive Orders raise, they are wholly inadequate to avert the economic disaster facing millions of American…

Beyer, Kilmer Introduce Unemployment Legislation Amid Lapse In Benefits

| Posted in Press Releases

U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Vice Chair and House leader of Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, and Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, today introduced the Worker Relief and Security Act. The legislation would automatically continue and provide for additional enhanced emergency unemployment benefits for the duration of the public health emergency and…

Senate Adjournment Seals Lapse In Federal Unemployment Benefits

| Posted in Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), Vice Chair and top Democrat on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, issued the following statement after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell allowed the Senate to adjourn for the week without passing an extension of enhanced federal unemployment benefits, which are set to lapse absent action from Congress by the end of this week: “Senate Republicans’ failure to act will…

Opinion: GOP refusal to extend unemployment benefits is very dangerous

| Posted in Opinion Pieces
Tags: Economy

Originally Published in the American Independent Congressional Republicans are holding 34 million unemployed Americans hostage, threatening to let expire the $600 in enhanced unemployment benefits that is helping distraught families survive the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression. They waited until benefits are only a day away from disappearing as a misguided…