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Jobless Americans need stimulus payments to survive

WION
New Delhi Edited By: Palki SharmaUpdated: Jul 30, 2020, 09:29 AM IST
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Unemployment (file photo) Photograph:(Reuters)

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Rising cases have made economic recovery difficult and businesses are hiring fewer people. Last week, the number of jobless Americans went up for the first time in nearly four months and they will need the stimulus payments to survive.

Unemployed Americans will not have any money in their pockets by the end of this week. That's if Republicans and Democrats fail to agree upon what to do next. The stimulus payments plan will expire this Friday.

Republicans have proposed a one trillion dollars plan with a big cut in government handouts. Democrats are pointing at rising cases, hiring freeze and stuttering economy to say now is not the time. While they try to find consensus, let's look at how Americans are spending the stimulus money.

Most Americans are receiving 1,200 dollars every week. For the well to do, it is free cash, to be used on fulfilling desires -- like buying sex toys, canopied beds, costumes and stripper poles. The 2 trillion dollars stimulus package announced in May to help businesses too. A Florida man made full use of it to buy himself a brand new blue Lamborghini. He showed fake papers, claiming to have four businesses. The government gave him four million dollars to pay his 70 employees. He spent 300,000 dollars to buy himself a new car. He has been arrested for fraud. In another case, a reality TV star Maurice Fayne got two million dollars loan in the name of a trucking company. He spent the money on a Rolls-Royce and jewellery.

There are 32 million unemployed people in the US. They say, not everybody is fooling the government. But the Republican party wants to stop the direct payments. The Democrats don't agree.

A survey says 78 per cent of the beneficiaries paid loans and bills, 58 per cent bought household supplies, 20 per cent spent it on clothing and 8 per cent bought TVs, electronics or fitness equipment.

Rising cases have made economic recovery difficult and businesses are hiring fewer people. Last week, the number of jobless Americans went up for the first time in nearly four months and they will need the stimulus payments to survive.