Labor’s Scalia Won’t Commit to Extending Virus Jobless Aid (2)

The federal government’s top labor official warned that extending more generous pandemic-related unemployment benefits for workers beyond a July 31 expiration date would require close scrutiny to determine the proper approach.

If the next phase of Covid-19 relief legislation were to address the $600 weekly unemployment boost states are currently providing, it would “warrant a very careful look ... at whether continuing that particular method is the right way to go,” Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said during a Consumer Technology Association webinar Monday.

The secretary’s remarks come as Congress and the Trump administration are informally discussing another round of stimulus ...