America’s stimulus package: is it working?

America has spent trillions of dollars on stimulus packages to prop up its economy in the face of the covid-19 pandemic. But is it working—and what will the long-term effects be? Our experts answer your questions. Question timecodes: 00:00 Introduction to US economic stimulus 00:44 Where does the stimulus money come from? 01:43 Will the funds actually reach the people who need it most? 03:00 How does the American economic stimulus compare to other countries globally? 04:08 Has the increased unemployment benefit disincentivised people from going back to work? 05:08 How will America’s economic stimulus impact inflation? 06:24 Should Americans be concerned that the stimulus will put the government in debt? 08:28 Can the positive effects of the covid-19 stimulus on the US economy be shown? 09:23 Is America becoming more socialist by handing out this stimulus? Further reading: Find The Economist’s most recent coverage of covid-19 here: https://econ.st/2CQRUr2 Sign up to The Economist’s daily newsletter to keep up to date with our latest covid-19 coverage: https://econ.st/3l79OHi Find The Economist’s most recent coverage of the US presidential election here: https://econ.st/2CM2oYz Sign up to The Economist’s weekly “Checks and Balance” newsletter to keep up to date with our coverage of American politics: https://econ.st/3l5C4dl Read about how universal basic income is gaining momentum in America: https://econ.st/2QakJSe What Wall Street’s results tell you about America’s economy: https://econ.st/3aLIycL Read about how the postal service has become vital to America’s elections: https://econ.st/2YpjSlj How Donald Trump polarised postal voting: https://econ.st/3l6FOv5 Democrats set factionalism aside for the big push against Donald Trump: https://econ.st/31iSPK0