U.S. Sen. Hawley talks second round of stimulus checks, getting Americans back to work
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — A second round of stimulus checks has been a talking point for federal lawmakers for weeks now.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley, of Missouri, told KTVO on Thursday, he will only vote yes on a stimulus package if it helps Americans get back to work.
He says he's been urging the senate since April to adopt relief measures focused on jobs and not special interest giveaways or bailouts.
"Any relief bill gotta be focused on jobs. I mean, it's gotta be focused on getting Missourians and American's back to work. We just saw new jobs numbers today [Thursday] - unemployment is too high. There are too many people who are still without a job because of those government shutdowns, government lock downs. So we have got to focus on getting people back to work."
The number of Americans who filed for unemployment increased for the second week in a row.
According to the Department of Labor, roughly 1.43 million people filed for unemployment last week.
The department says that number is an increase of 12,000 when compared to the previous week.
The number of unemployment claims had been falling for four months after a peak in March.
However, COVID-19 cases continue to grow across the country, resulting in some businesses closing down again.
