Tyesha Holeman’s year started on a good note. The Durham County mom got a new, well-paying temp job.

“Our goal this year - me and my spouse - was to save money so we could finally buy a house for our kids,” she said in an interview Thursday.

But that dream is now on hold.

She was laid off amid the pandemic. While she got unemployment assistance, including the temporary federal allotment of $600 per week, it did not last forever.

“We’re living hand to foot now, again. And it's a lot more stressful just because there’s no resources,” she said.

Holeman is not alone. Data from the North Carolina Department of Commerce shows more than 1.3 million people in North Carolina have applied for unemployment benefits since the early days of the pandemic.

Like so many Americans, Holeman is now looking to Washington for help. While Congress did pass a series of aid bills early on in the pandemic, including the CARES Act, for months now lawmakers have failed to negotiate a follow-up.



Hope in Sight?

With COVID cases spiking across the nation and pressure mounting, lawmakers have once again restarted relief talks.

Rep. Alma Adams, D-12th District, indicated she is optimistic that they could get something done this time.

“Everybody is hurting and that’s not a partisan hurt,” she said.

Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers introduced a $900 billion plan. Democratic leaders in both chambers have pointed to the proposal as a starting point for a potential deal.

Among the top line provisions, the plan calls for another round of help for small businesses - including through the Paycheck Protection Program - plus a temporary $300 per week boost to unemployment.

But not everyone is happy with the proposal, and individual lawmakers do have specific concerns.

Rep. Adams, for example, pointed to the proposed boost to unemployment as being insufficient. (It is less than the $600 per week federal bump included in the CARES Act.)

“Think about this: Can you make it on that? No. That’s kind of insulting,” she said.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, raised concerns that the liability protections for businesses included in the plan fall short. The proposal only temporarily restricts pandemic-related lawsuits, with the idea that it gives states time to craft their own policies.

Still, Tillis also offered praise for parts of the proposal. “I’ve been talking with some of the members, I think they’ve got a lot of good provisions in there,” he told reporters.

Whether Congress will get a stimulus deal done ahead of the holidays remains an open question. Lawmakers have other items on their plate over the next few days. That includes needing to pass legislation to avoid a government shutdown.

Watching from North Carolina, Holeman’s plea to lawmakers was simple: do something.

“Stop dragging us around, stop dangling stuff in front of us,” she said.