WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)-Although many Americans want a fourth stimulus, some lawmakers are already talking about the fifth. Members of the powerful congressional committee called on the federal government to provide further financial assistance to families still struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Given that the third round of economic stimulus measures of $1,400 has passed, late last week, seven Democrats from the Housing Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to Joe Biden calling for Fourth and fifth rounds of direct payments to assist people in housing, food and other aspects of payment. The committee monitors the government’s budget and taxes. The groups that signed the letter accounted for about 15% of the committee members.

The letter read: “As the country continues to fight the global pandemic and recession, families and workers do not have to worry about whether they will have enough money to pay for necessities in the coming months.”

letter, The date is May 17, but did not mention the dollar amount, but raised the possibility of two more rounds of rescue.

The letter read: “The fourth and fifth checks can lift another 12 million people out of poverty.” “Combined [American Recovery Plan], Direct payment can reduce the number of poor in 2021 from 44 million to 16 million. “

More than 80 Democratic lawmakers have requested additional relief in previous letters from Congress. A change.org petition has collected more than 2 million signatures from the public.

Even with increasing support among some Democratic congressmen, the fourth round of stimulus checks still faces major obstacles. Due to the failure to obtain bipartisan support and a loophole in the budget, Congress was squeezed for the third time. Since then, many Republican governors have been rejecting federal COVID unemployment insurance benefits on the grounds that they encourage people to stay at home and collect money instead of returning to work. The proposal for additional direct payments may face similar criticism.

Most importantly, Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi are relatively silent about the possibility of additional checks. Instead, their focus is to pass Biden’s infrastructure plan.

When Directly ask about irritation test Earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded: “We will look at the suggestions of members of Congress,” adding that payment is “not free.”

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the government has issued three direct payments. About a year ago, the government sent a $1,200 stimulus check to most Americans through the CARES Act. At the end of 2020, the government approved a payment of $600 per person. This is followed by the third stimulus payment of US$1,400.

In the latest round of COVID relief assistance, the US government stated that it has sent approximately 159 million direct payments to families, with a total value of US$376 billion.

Unused irritation check

Record request Boston Herald It was found that the first round of aid had not yet spent US$1.24 million in economic impact payments.

The document obtained data from the Internal Revenue Service under the Freedom of Information Act.

The IRS told the Herald that the 1,245,339 uncashed checks represent “the number of people who refused to accept, repaid or did not cash the stimulus checks they received from the IRS due to the CARES Act, which was signed into law on March 27. ., 2020.”

According to the Herald, when it comes to which states have the best stimulus checks, California has the most stimulus checks with 123,265 people, followed by Florida with 92,018 people. The next three highest states are Texas, New York and Pennsylvania.

In New England, Massachusetts ranked first with 27,689, followed by Connecticut (13,353), New Hampshire (5,859), Maine (5,426), Rhode Island (4,190) and Vermont (3,169) ).

Employers work hard to fill vacant positions

American companies are seeking to hire and increase production, but in some industries they are experiencing shortages of employees and raw materials.

As many businesses from restaurants, hotels to factories and construction companies are struggling to find enough workers to catch up with the fast-rising economic rebound, the recovery of the US job market was suspended last month.

The slowdown in hiring last month seems to reflect many factors. According to government investigations, nearly 3 million people are reluctant to find a job because they are afraid of being infected. After many people returned in the first two months, more women left the labor market last month and may take care of their children.

In addition, due to the blockage of the supply chain, construction companies and manufacturers, especially automakers, are short of parts and components, and currently have to slow down their production. Both departments withdrew recruitment in April. Some companies say they believe that the $300 weekly unemployment benefit paid by the federal government makes some unemployed people reluctant to accept new jobs.

Nevertheless, the company has added jobs for four consecutive months, Labour Department report, Although the government lowered its February and March employment growth estimates by 78,000 in total.

The resumption of employment has encouraged some Americans to start looking for work, which means that if they do not find a job immediately, they will be counted as unemployed. This is what happened in April, when the unemployment rate rose from 6% to 6.1%.

Compared with before the pandemic, employers are now posting far more jobs, and “help wanted” signs are dotted on the windows of many restaurants. Other signs of labor shortages also emerged: the average hourly wage in April rose by 0.7% to $30.17. The government stated that this indicates that the rapid opening of the economy “may pose upward pressure on wages.” The average weekly working hours have also increased, indicating that the company is asking its employees to work more.

Daniel Zhao, a senior economist at the job site Glassdoor, said: “Demand exceeds supply.” “This is what is happening in the entire economy, from semiconductors to wood, and we see similar phenomena in the labor market. Austerity.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.