Senate Democrats will reportedly lower COVID-19 relief bill's unemployment benefits

U.S. Capitol
(Image credit: Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

Democrats in the Senate have reportedly reached an agreement to include lower weekly unemployment benefits in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.

Under a "last-minute agreement" expected to be introduced in an amendment from Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the weekly federal unemployment benefits in the relief bill would be $300 a week, rather than $400 a week as in the House of Representatives' bill, The Wall Street Journal reports.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.