If You're Unemployed, Trump and the GOP Just Aren't That Into You

The current stimulus negotiations epitomize the GOP worldview

In previous posts, I voiced my concern that, without a significant follow-up to the CARES Act, mass evictions and layoffs could push the U.S. economy off the proverbial cliff. So when the Democrat-led House passed the $3 trillion HEROES Act in mid-May, I breathed a sigh of relief. 

The timing of the Democrat’s bill would give Senate Republicans and the White House plenty of time to negotiate a CARES Act 2.0 with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. 

There was one thing missing from my calculations — I didn’t fully appreciate the GOP’s apparent worldview.

Since last March, I’ve had the month of August earmarked on my calendar. Because of the July expiration of both the eviction moratorium and the $600 a week increase in unemployment insurance (UI) benefits contained in the CARES Act, I knew critical decisions lay before Congress. I also knew inaction by Congress was a recipe for economic disaster.