Washington, April 17 (RHC)-- The Labor Department reports more than 5.2 million U.S. workers filed unemployment claims in just the last seven days, bringing the number of unemployment claims over the past month to over 22 million.

On Wednesday, millions of U.S. taxpayers began receiving payments of $1,200, plus $500 per dependent child.  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in late March the one-time payments would be enough to tide over Americans for months.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters: “I think the entire package provides economic relief overall for about 10 weeks.”

Some Democratic lawmakers are pushing for far more direct assistance to U.S. households during the crisis. The Emergency Money for the People Act would provide all but the highest-earning U.S. citizens age 16 and over $2,000 a month until unemployment falls to pre-coronavirus levels.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced a $125 million relief fund for undocumented immigrants left jobless by the pandemic.

In related news, a U.S. congressional committee reports tax provisions in the coronavirus stimulus passed by Congress last month will overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Americans.  Four out of five tax filers benefiting from the $70 billion temporary tax loophole are millionaires or billionaires.  They’ll receive an average windfall of $1.6 million -- totally dwarfing the $1,200 payments for working Americans.