Congress returns to work this week with a critical deadline looming: the expiration of an additional $600 per week in federal unemployment benefits it created to help workers through the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 25 million unemployed people are receiving some form of unemployment benefits. But the additional $600 weekly that Congress added in March will expire in a matter of days if lawmakers don’t act. The lapse in benefits would be devastating not only to the economy but also to those Americans still struggling to pay bills on time, including rent.
Megan Gaddini of Portland, Oregon said she had been looking for a new marketing job when the pandemic struck earlier this year. Her husband works in the film industry and projects dried up; they’ve both relied on the extra benefits to pay their expenses.
If Congress doesn’t replace the extra benefits, people won’t be entirely cut off, but they’ll be left with state-funded benefits that average about $364. Gaddini said she and her husband each receive less than $300 in state benefits.
“If we lose the extra $600, we aren’t going to make it,” Gaddini, 37, said in an email. “We have a mortgage, we have a child, we have bills. What do we choose to not pay?” | 
