‘We’d love to see $2,000.’ Gavin Newsom endorses larger COVID-19 relief checks

Should the COVID-19 relief checks be increased from $600 to $2,000? Both President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom think so.

The Democratic governor threw his support behind the Republican president’s proposal during a Wednesday press conference, one day after Trump said Congress should amend the COVID-19 relief bill to reflect larger checks for Americans.

“... We’d love to see $2,000. I appreciate Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi being willing to take the president at his word,” Newsom said Wednesday.

Congress has sent Trump a stimulus relief bill that would give most Americans a $600 check, but the president said Tuesday he’s unhappy with the amount.

Pelosi responded that congressional Democrats would be happy to reconvene to raise the number, a move clearly aimed at pressuring Republicans, who had pushed for a smaller stimulus package, to raise the amount.

Newsom said a change in the size of the payments would make a significant difference in California – putting “upwards of $60 billion” into the state’s economy instead of $18 billion.

Trump has yet to say whether he will veto the measure that includes the $600 stimulus, which also would extend a federal unemployment benefits that are set to expire next week.

An estimated 1 million Californians are likely to lose their unemployment benefits next week, as federal unemployment programs created in March to help people affected by the COVID crisis expire.

Most are currently receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a benefit for people who traditionally do not get jobless benefits, such as independent contractors and freelancers.

“Not extending benefits does not only lead to immediate hardship for UI recipients and puts a damper on the economic recovery, it will also exacerbate economic and racial inequalities in California,” said Till von Wachter, faculty director of the nonpartisan California Policy Lab, which made the estimate.

In its latest report it found that poor and racially diverse neighborhoods have a larger number of unemployment claims relative to the labor force.

“They would be disproportionately hit by a lapse in benefits,” he said.

In Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this month assured PUA recipients they would continue getting some relief.

“PUA benefits will not expire for Washingtonians,” he tweeted.

“Congress should act on relief today. But if they fail to do so, Washington state is prepared to extend Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits beyond Dec. 25th.”

Newsom’s office has not responded to questions about whether California is prepared to step in if Trump allows the federal unemployment supplement to expire.

The economic relief plan Congress passed Sunday would boost those amounts by $300 a week through March 14, and extend PUA eligibility through April 5.

This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 3:01 PM.