While lawmakers have returned for a lame-
duck session, there has been no progress
so far in narrowing the differences between
Democrats who are pushing for a big package
of $1 trillion or more, and Senate Republicans
who are refusing to approve anything above
approximately $500 billion.
More than 9 million people will lose their
unemployment benefits at the end of the year
when two jobless benefit programs are set to
expire unless Congress extends them.
At the same time virus cases are surging,
triggering a number of states to re-impose
business limits such as earlier closing times for
bars and restaurants and stricter limits on the
number of in-store shoppers.