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Extra Unemployment Assistance Programs Expires This Week

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Dismissed employee on the background of the search bar unemployment Benefits | Extra Unemployment Assistance Programs Expires This Week | featured

Beginning this weekend, millions of Americans will lose extra unemployment assistance benefits. The federal programs that issued added benefits to jobless workers during the pandemic will expire later this week. 

RELATED: 50% of States To End $300 Unemployment Benefits Early

Federal Unemployment Assistance Programs End This Week

During the start of the pandemic, the US Congress voted to provide additional unemployment assistance to millions of jobless Americans.

The coronavirus shut down businesses and retail outlets during its first few weeks. Additional jobless benefits helped manage the effects of a stalled economy. 

As the pandemic has yet to indicate a realistic ending, Congress extended the unemployment assistance programs. In some cases, lawmakers expanded the eligibility to include more jobless Americans. They also raised the money given weekly. 

8.8 Million Americans Will Lose Federal Unemployment Assistance

However, Congress now seems uninterested in extending jobless benefits. As a result, these programs will expire this weekend. Lawmakers are less likely to propose extensions at this point. Last few months, the US reported improvements in the economy. The job market is also reporting rising demand for workers.

According to estimates from progressive think tank The Century Foundation, around 8.8 million Americans will lose their benefits entirely. Meanwhile,  another 3 million American workers will find their weekly aid reduced by $300 per week.

Consequently, unemployed workers will have to settle for an average of $321 jobless benefits a week. This is equivalent to about 38% of their pre-playoff wage, per Labor Department data.

Recurring Problem During American Recessions

Till von Wachter, an economics professor at UCLA and director of the California Policy Lab, thinks the cut might be too early. “We’re cutting benefits off when many, many individuals are still relying on them.

This is sort of a recurring problem in American recessions. We ask politicians to come up with benefit programs, and they set to end and start dates. They’re set in advance and have nothing to do with how the economy is,” he observed. 

In this case, the White House supports the scheduled ending of the $300 additional jobless payments. Officials pointed out that the US job market adds an average of 832,000 new jobs every month since June.

From a high of 14.8% in April 2020, unemployment is not at a manageable level of 5.4%. This is evidence that the US economy is in recovery mode.  

Biden Administrations Urges States With Funds To Continue Issuing Unemployment Assistance  

However, the federal government continues to urge states with unspent pandemic funds to continue giving out jobless benefits. President Joe Biden’s administration called on state governments to continue helping certain unemployed groups.

This includes long-term unemployed workers such as independent contractors. These workers usually do not qualify for traditional and state unemployment benefits. 

However, individual states have yet to indicate if they plan to comply. The Labor Department has no way of knowing if the state did so. Fund usage is not part of the department’s mandate and oversight, according to a Labor spokesperson.

Some States Already Ended Federal Unemployment Assistance

Around 26 states decided to terminate the extra federal jobless benefits way before their Labor Day cutoff. The mostly Republican states said that extra money kept workers from actively seeking jobs while the program was in effect.

This made it harder for the state’s economic programs to take off, as companies lacked enough workers. 

In addition, officials said that generous benefits also attracted an increased number of criminals. Rachel Greszler, a research fellow at the rightist Heritage Foundation, said that federal unemployment made things worse.

“These groups went in after the funds using a number of fraudulent practices. Between massive fraud and worker shortages, expanded unemployment insurance benefits have arguably been the federal government’s most flawed, and damaging, an economic policy enacted in response to Covid-19,” she said.

Watch the CBS News video reporting that Americans will lose unemployment benefits after Labor Day:

Do you agree that the federal unemployment assistance programs should stop by now?

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Do you agree that it’s about time the government ended extra unemployment assistance? In addition, do you agree it’s time for workers to get back to work and earn money the regular way?

Let us know what you think about the federal jobless benefits program. Share your comments below.

20 Comments

20 Comments

  • Roberto Roman says:

    If they keep taking free money weekly there is no incentive to go to work.

  • Kelly says:

    I agree!

  • Vince says:

    100% agree! Time to get back to work. The Government is destroying our livelihoods! All they are doing is stopping people from succeeding in life.

  • Anonymous says:

    I also agree. Why would someone go to work when they’re basically getting paid to stay home. Meanwhile I see “Help Wanted ” signs everywhere I go.

  • munch says:

    they need to get off their butt’s and get to work, nothings free and the gov’t doesn’t owes you anything.

  • Anonymous says:

    It’s time to revert back to the old way of thinking. Get a job earn a paycheck pay your bills…..

    It’s common sense .

  • Anonymous says:

    Everyone should be back to work. I understand if there is a disability problem, but even that is no excuse for not working somekind of job. Our economy depends on people working. In my mind playtime with pay is over. Get a job. Any job, job
    Just a job where you will have some respect for yourself and for others too. There are plenty of jobs out there. May not be what you went at first, but you will with hard work and preserve get to a place you want to be. But you have to take that first step.

  • Edwin Cuevas says:

    My Contract job just ended yesterday I prepared for it by saving. However I would Love to go back to work I have skills, I have applied since April preparing for this day but employers are not hiring me and they are greedy. They want the perfect candidate even if I am the one. So here it is if employers are playing games then you people who are in HR and in the position to hire if you don’t hire then pay for it by your tax dollars.

  • Dean Jankauskas says:

    This is making a lazy society, just what the dems want socalism

  • Kathleen says:

    There are plenty of jobs out there you see signs on so many businesses needing workers it’s time to get back to work the government wants you to stay home so they can pay you and then you’ll depend on them for everything and then we’ll have a socialist government remember United States of America is a free country. Do everything you can to keep it a free country

  • Anonymous says:

    There’s no excuse not to work.
    I’ve been working through this pandemic.
    People who don’t a a legitimate health issue ( immune system deficiency)
    Need to stop being lazy POSs and go to work. And stop leeching off the system that has been funded by the sweat and blood hard working Americans

  • Anonymous says:

    Payback is coming to these lazy aholes. I own multiple businesses and we reposted a job that had open earlier this week. When I got multiple inquiries from young people who have gaps of work from 03/20 to present I asked why. It was interesting to see their lame excuses for not working.

    Guess what, i refused to give them a chance. F-them. I hope they get evicted for future rents and go back to live with their mommies.

  • Ronald Lee says:

    Change the stupid housing to be fucking affordable!!! And there isn’t a fucking shortage of people willing to work!! THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO WORK FOR FUCKED UP POVERTY WAGES !!!! STOP THE FUCKING LIE !!!!!!!!!!!#

  • Phyllis says:

    There are jobs available; the lazy ones sitting on their back sides collecting will be begging to get hired when the money is no longer given to them! That is when employers can and will be selective! These loafers don’t realize their pay load will come to a screeching halt. Anyone posting with a foul mouth will be one of the first to cry when the checks stop. A foul mouth only shows they are in the lazy group; unwillging to work and using any excuse they can. I feel sorry for them as their house of cards will not only fall; but be burned up.

  • J Nacarato, Messmer says:

    My answer wasn’t listed so I selected the first no meaning there are still some out of work. The reasoning behind that was my husband has not even been able to collect his unemployment after filling out, speaking to, and Emailing with my help ‘due to’ not many over 65 year old blue collar workers ARE NOT computer savvy. NEVER being able to get an answer at any giving time through the EDD. You know the same number pleasantly given to we the people as a sure contact from everything from GOV listings, to the Governors office. This once great USA is so ridiculously un-organized its an embarrassment.
    Back to the subject at hand other NO there’s so many signs for work posted, help signs everywhere. People sucking the system, along with a lazy generation that doesn’t know what hard work is. Here in the worst state of all California in which generations of my family were born and raised have had to inch our way out (Especially when at retirement age) you can’t ‘to my knowledge rent anything that’s lower then either spouses or significant other whole SSI. It’s appalling all the way around appalling. We have already lost the battle, and although over 60 I don’t intent on losing the War.

  • Fred Ingley says:

    Glad to see that at least some businessmen are not hiring the lazy scumbags who stayed unemployed simply because they were sucking off the government tit during that time. There were always jobs available IF SOMEONE REALLY WANTED TO WORK. I recall during the time when Castro took over Cuba with thousands fleeing (sometimes in flimsy rafts across 90 miles of the extremely dangerous Florida Straits)to get freedom and the right to work and support themselves and families. I’ve seen where an MD from Cuba who couldn’t get his papers from there to allow him to practice medicine, gladly taking on a job as a day laborer at a construction site. Those were the real people who helped make our country great; it wasn’t the low live who simply want to suck the government’s tit.

  • fedup says:

    The demorats are using this to buy votes anybody with any common sense knows it.Places are begging for workers and shit for brains Biden is making it impossible for people to hire workers.Says he wants min. wage at $15 bucks an hour and has caused inflation to more than overtake that amount easy.

  • Joey Silva says:

    As long as they are, prohibiting certain work spaces , and taking away, from what was considered the norm ; for example , say your a stagehand , and not getting the work anymore , because so many venues and concerts , ball games, hockey games , are being limited , than so are the employees , on their hours ! Many businesses had to entirely cut positions ,in order to stay afloat , and now these people , are unemployed , when your 50, and trying to find work in a very competitive area (the san francisco , bay area) theres little hope to find something , let alone get a retirement , since this was cut short ! When making assumptions and judgemental opinions , check the facts

  • Anonymous says:

    Take that money and pay people to go back to work , than you can claim inflation is transitory .subsidize the employer for a brief period get the people back to the jobs . We should end this thing called unemployment .

  • david says:

    Regarding the unemployment payments for 1099 workers: I personally feel that the 1099 workers should not have received unemployment from the very beginning. The politicians talked about how the 1099 workers are no covered by unemployment so they are going to make exception and pay unemployment to the 1099 workers also. Here is my issues. As a regular employee your employer pays into UI, and the employee pays into a SDI fund at least in california. (if i am wrong on my numbers feel free to correct) So these 1099 workers were getting paid and put no money into the system. The problem i have with this is that a 1099 worker has the opportunity and can make the choice to personally pay into UI and SDI and they will be covered. If they did not do that they should not receive anything. The politicians made it sound as though these 1099 workers did not have the capability of choosing to pay for the SDI and UI out of their pocket. BUT THEY DID AND DO. I think unemployment in CA if they did not include these 1099 workers would have been able to last twice as long. It would have only been a portion of the people drawing unemployment which would have stopped alot of the issues getting through to the UI office. The 1099 workers had the choice to pay into the UI and SDI program. If they chose not to we should not have to pay for it out of the UI funds.

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