FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, (D-NY) speaks during a news briefing of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the City Hall in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 14, 2020. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday warned of an economic recession as the coronavirus spreads through the country and criticized the Trump administration’s latest call for issuing $1,000 checks to Americans in response.
“The coronavirus is slowing our economy to a near standstill and we are almost certainly anticipating a recession,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor. He added that expanded unemployment benefits would be a more effective way of helping workers than a $1,000 check from Washington.
Reporting by Richard Cowan, Editing by Franklin Paul