No matter what happens next week, tens of millions of Americans will remain unemployed as the cold season threatens the country with new spikes of coronavirus cases. Already beset by the loss of enhanced unemployment benefits which Senate Republicans allowed to expire in July, over ten million workers face a total loss of income when CARES Act unemployment programs expire if they are not renewed b... Read more »
U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and U.S. Representatives John Sarbanes (D-MD), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Anthony Brown (D-MD), Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), and David Trone (D-MD) issued the following statement today: “We represent the people of the National Capital Region. We are alarmed and dismayed... Read more »
Rep. Beyer, who serves as the top House member on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, issued the following statement after President Trump abruptly announced that he would end negotiations on a new economic stimulus package to support the economy and protect American jobs: “President Trump’s stunning reversal on stimulus negotiations could not have come at a worse time. “Just as a bipartisan deal ... Read more »
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today testified before the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security in its hearing, “Save Our Social Security Now.” Beyer, whose district includes the largest number of civilian federal employees of any member the House as well as the Pentagon and a number of other military installations, spoke to the damaging effects that the policy will have on mili... Read more »
In an appearance on Government Matters, Rep. Don Beyer strongly urged federal agencies to increase and improve communications with federal workers and military service members about changes in their paychecks which will begin in the current pay period as a result of President Trump’s payroll tax deferral. His interview came ahead of a Thursday hearing on the payroll tax deferral by the House Ways ... Read more »
Late last night President Trump made clear that his Executive Order allowing employers to defer payroll taxes until 2021 was intended as coercion, tweeting, “When we win I, as your President, will totally forgive ALL deferred payroll taxes with money from the General Fund.” The Constitution vests tax powers with Congress, meaning the President cannot deliver the political bribe he offered. Trump’s... Read more »
Across the country implementation of President Trump’s executive order to provide cut-in-half enhanced unemployment benefits continues to result in chaos. The White House initially promised $400 per week would reach unemployed workers “immediately” under the order issued after its negotiators walked away from economic stimulus talks. Administration officials subsequently clarified that the federal... Read more »
Following initial reporting from Federal News Radio on Friday night, the Trump Administration confirmed over the weekend that all members of the United States military in the income range specified by President Trump’s executive order will have their Social Security payroll taxes deferred. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), which administers payroll for Department of Defense employ... Read more »
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 the figur... Read more »
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 order’s i... Read more »
