Estimate: Millions Lost Benefits as Congress Failed to Meet Trump Demand for $2,000 Stimulus Checks

The US Capitol in the late afternoon before lawmakers vote to pass a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill on December 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. After months of impasse, negotiations came down to the wire as 12 million people are set to lose unemployment benefits the day after Christmas. Cheriss May/Getty Images

Millions of people lost federal unemployment benefits on Saturday as Congress failed to meet President Donald Trump’s demand for $2,000 stimulus checks to be added to the pandemic relief bill passed by both chambers last week.

According to an estimate by The Century Foundation (TCF), 12 million people lost unemployment benefits when two programs funded through the initial pandemic relief measure passed by Congress expired on Dec. 26.