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Sen. Ron WydenRonald (Ron) Lee WydenOvernight Defense: Army now willing to rename bases named after Confederates | Dems demand answers on 'unfathomable' nuke testing discussions | Pentagon confirms death of north African al Qaeda leader On The Money: S&P erases 2020 losses as stocks soar | US entered recession in February: NBER | Lawmakers worry IRS is giving rich people a pass Top Democrats demand answers on Trump administration's 'unfathomable' consideration of nuclear testing MORE (D-Ore.), the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, accused Labor Secretary Eugene ScaliaEugene ScaliaOn The Money: Initial jobless claims drop to 1.9 million | IRS faces obstacles with remaining stimulus checks | Nearly half of Americans have lost income over coronavirus Labor secretary: Unemployment rate could be under 10 percent by end of year AFL-CIO sues OSHA to demand standard for worker protections MORE on Tuesday of givingmisleading testimony on key questions pertaining to unemployment benefits.

"I think that's just misleading the committee, misleading the public and on a key kind of question, which is what to do going forward," Wyden said at the end of a three-hour Finance Committee hearing looking at how the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic affected workers.

At the heart of the matter was the question of extending the $600 in additional weekly unemployment insurance benefits, a provision of Marchs CARES Act thats set to expire at the end of July.

Republicans argue that the extra cash, which in many cases makes the total benefit higher than working wages, disincentivizes people from returning to work.

Wyden contended that the only reason Democrats had pushed for a flat $600 increase was because states, which administer unemployment benefits, would have to take months to upgrade their systems in order to simply provide workers their full level of wages.

"Do states have the capacity now to implement 100 percent wage replacement on an individual basis? Wyden asked Scalia at the hearing.

"I think, actually, the states have made some progress and are in a different place than they were before," Scalia responded, though he avoided flatly confirming that states were ready.

At the end of the hearing, Wyden took the unusual step of asking for more time to accuse Scalia of providing misleading answers, saying that in a recent private meeting, Scalia had told him the opposite.

"I'm open to a variety of approaches, but it doesn't help when we have misleading comments," he said.

Scalia, who sparred with several Democrats during the course of the hearing, said that he simply had new information.

"I actually have learned more since you and I spoke, and I confess as I sit here now I am more optimistic about the capabilities that states may have based on the conversations that we continue to have," he said.

Committee Chairman Chuck GrassleyCharles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleySenate GOP leaders don't expect next coronavirus bill before mid-July On The Money: S&P erases 2020 losses as stocks soar | US entered recession in February: NBER | Lawmakers worry IRS is giving rich people a pass GAO provides guidance to lawmakers to protect watchdogs, prevent abuse MORE (R-Iowa) said that the original $600 benefit had been important for keeping the economy afloat, but that economic circumstances had changed since March as the country had begun to open up.

The question of how to approach unemployment benefits is one of the central issues in negotiating a new COVID-19 relief bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSenate GOP leaders don't expect next coronavirus bill before mid-July GOP senators urge Trump to back off Murkowski threat Schumer wants votes on police reform, fifth coronavirus bill by July 4 MORE said Tuesday that the bill would not be taken up until after July 4th, which had been the expected target for passing it.

An unexpectedly good jobs report last week boosted the GOP argument that more time was needed to evaluate the level of economic need, though Democrats have been quick to point out that the economy remains in the deepest recession and worst unemployment situation since the Great Depression.

Tensions in the hearing Tuesday centered on other issues, too. Wyden also accused Scalia of providing misleading information in regards to putting out detailed standards outlining when unemployed people can turn down work based on health and safety concerns.

Scalia repeatedly said the issue was up to individual states, but Wyden countered that that was not the case for expanded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, another CARES Act program that allowed the self-employed, freelancers and gig economy workers to receive unemployment benefits.

During the hearing, other Democrats expressed dissatisfaction with Scalias testimony.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod BrownSherrod Campbell BrownOhio is suddenly a 2020 battleground Democratic senators say police crackdowns undermine US response to Hong Kong Democratic senators kneel during moment of silence for George Floyd MORE (D) accused the secretary ofseeking to promotePresident TrumpDonald John TrumpMichigan to seek federal disaster declaration over broken dams Trump to make it easier for Alaska hunters to kill wolf pups and bear cubs: report Army briefs House panel on response to DC protests MORE for reelection instead of providing answers.

"We've heard the Trump commercial over and over again," Brown said after Scalia went out of his way to praise Trumps handling of the economy.

Brown has asked whether eliminating the additional benefit would disproportionately affect black and brown workers, who have significantly higher unemployment rates than white workers.

Scalia responded that African Americans had the lowest unemployment rate in history before the pandemic, echoing a frequent White House talking point.

"That was a simple yes or no and I got a commercial for the president's reelection, Brown said.

Sen. Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehouseSheldon Whitehouse leads Democrats into battle against Trump judiciary Bill aims to help farmers sell carbon credits GOP chairmen stake out turf in Obama-era probes MORE (D-R.I.) accused Scalia of filibustering, giving long-winded answers to run out the 5-minute limit each senator was given for question and answer.

"I'm starting to think you're having fun filibustering us. It's become a little bit of a sport for you to filibuster us and kind of yuk it up. I don't think that's fair to us," he said.

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Key Democrat accuses Labor head of 'misleading' testimony on jobless benefits | TheHill - The Hill