The negative economic impact of the Coronavirus was made even more clear on Thursday, as the Labor Department reported 5.2 million Americans filed for jobless benefits, as nearly 22 million people have sought unemployment help in just the last month, facing an economy buffeted by the virus outbreak.
The raw numbers released by the federal government made clear the historic nature of the economy's fall.
"This marks the highest level of seasonally adjusted insured unemployment in the history of the seasonally adjusted series," the latest report stated, as the number of people getting benefits has already matched the Great Recession after the 2008 Wall Street collapse.
The report was a fresh reminder of the devastation caused by the Coronavirus, as various state governments have imposed stay-at-home orders, in order to stem the spread of the virus.
"It's staggering, and many are still having trouble filing for unemployment insurance, meaning the true number is even higher," said Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA).
"We need to do a better job to get capital to businesses ASAP, and restart our American society to get people working while continuing to protect our most vulnerable and adapt to move forward," said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX).
"Congress must act to reverse these job losses & protect every American job through this crisis. The time is now," said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO).
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