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Senate adjourns through Labor Day without reaching a stimulus deal. Here's where things stand now

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arrives to the U.S. Capitol on August 6, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)
Stefani Reynolds | Getty Images News | Getty Images

The Senate is officially adjourned through Labor Day despite not coming to an agreement on its next coronavirus stimulus package.

Congress and the White House have spent the past few weeks debating what to include in the package, but have been unable to come to an agreement. One of the biggest sticking points: Jobless benefits. Democrats want a continuation of the enhanced unemployment payment of $600 per week, while Republicans say that amount is too high. Democrats are also pushing for more than $900 billion for state and municipal aid, and $60 billion in food assistance, far higher than what Republicans have proposed.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the two sides would not strike a deal until Republicans added $1 trillion in aid to their bill. 

That means a deal could be weeks away. Meanwhile, around 28 million Americans remain unemployed and many of the relief provisions from the first stimulus package have dried up. President Donald Trump has issued four executive orders to address some of the issues, but experts remain unconvinced that they will be efficient in helping vulnerable households.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that if some kind of deal is reached while the Senate is on recess, members will return to Washington, D.C. for a vote.

As the Senate breaks, here's where things stand on various stimulus issues. 

Eviction moratorium

The federal eviction moratorium expired at the end of July. Without further action, it is up to each state, and sometimes city, to extend their eviction moratoriums or let them expire. New York state just extended its ban through September.

Trump's executive order aimed at eviction does not actually extend the moratorium. Rather, it instructs certain departments to "consider" whether temporarily banning residential evictions is "reasonably necessary" to prevent further spread of Covid-19.

As many as 40 million Americans could face eviction, according to Emily Benfer, an expert on evictions and health justice lawyer.

Stimulus checks 

A second round of stimulus checks seems to be one of the less controversial provisions: Senate Republicans and House Democrats both proposed another round of $1,200 to $2,400 checks in their respective stimulus packages

But any additional check requires Congressional approval, which means taxpayers wouldn't receive a payment anytime soon.

Student loans

Trump also ordered the Department of Education to continue deferring federal student loan payments through the end of the year. During that time, no interest will accrue for around 35 million borrowers.

The pause is intended to be automatic, as was the initial deferral put into place by the CARES Act.

Unemployment insurance 

One of Trump's executive orders guarantees $300 per week in additional federal benefits for some workers (and potentially $400 total, depending on how much money states have to give), but UI experts and state governors say it could take weeks for states to update their unemployment systems for the new rules and pay out benefits. 

Until that kicks in or Congress comes to a deal, the 28 million people currently collecting jobless benefits will receive their baseline state benefit, which varies depending on where they live.

Don't miss: It's not just the extra $600—millions could exhaust all of their jobless benefits by January

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