From the May 7, 2021, edition of CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper

JAKE TAPPER (ANCHOR): Richard, let's talk about what Ronna just referred to, Republicans blaming Democrats, blaming the Biden administration, saying of course it makes sense. You keep giving $1,400 checks to people. The public is getting these enhanced unemployment benefits from the federal government. Of course they are not flocking back to the workplace. What do you think? Is there anything to that? 

RICHARD QUEST (CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE): Yes, yes, there is something to it. Anecdotally, there is no a restaurant I haven't been to here in New York where the maître d' or the owner or the manager hasn't said to me “We can't find workers." When you ask why, they say because at the moment, people are being very picky because they can get just about or maybe a bit less or maybe a bit more by going on unemployment with the enhanced benefits.

Now, look, this might not be a particularly pleasant argument for liberals or a socially acceptable argument at the moment, but anecdotally, and the number and the evidence shows it, that the higher level of unemployment benefit at the moment of insurance is potentially acting as a disincentive in certain key industries. It's a fact, yes. 

ANCHOR: And Rana, the Republican governor of Montana announced that his state is going to stop participating in the federal programs of boosted unemployment next month. Instead Montana is going to offer a $1,200 return-to-work bonus. What do you make of that? 

RANA FOROOHAR (COLUMNIST AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR, FINANCIAL TIMES): What I make of that is we have a very big country with totally different job situations in different states, and this has always been one of the issues in trying to regulate the labor market in America. I mean, $15 an hour works in some places, not so well in others. There's a lot of variation right now. And frankly I'm for states being able to have a little bit of flexibility to deal with the problems that they have.