Unemployment benefits: 12 million Americans may lose aid just after Christmas
Since March, Montgomery – a New Yorker who also works as a voice teacher and tour guide – has not been able to find steady work, but has paid weekly for a historic expansion of benefits under a $ 2 trillion federal stimulus package Have received. But now, with the Congress stopping a fresh relief deal, the pandemic unemployment assistance program will run just after Christmas.
If this happens, Montgomery and his wife, a part-time home health aide, can go to Japan, where Montgomery’s wife is, or from Hong Kong, where he lived for 12 years and believe he can find work.
Montgomery, 63 said, “I hoped our wonderful Congress would find out by now. We would be paying the rent. We would put that money back into the economy. It’s not like we’re just going to freeze it.” ” . We need to spend it. “
A second measure, the epidemic emergency unemployment compensation program, is also due to end. This eliminates the unemployed from their traditional state benefits after an additional 13 weeks of payment, which typically lasts for 26 weeks. Some 4.6 million recipients will see these additional payments expire prematurely until Congress acts, The Century Foundation estimated – and many of those eligible for extended state benefits will not be able to stay for 20 weeks Huh.
March Shutdown Has Permanent Impact
“We haven’t cut unemployment benefits when many people are gathering, when the unemployment rate is very high,” said Andrew Stetner, Senior Fellow of The Century Foundation.
Congress, however, has been unable to agree on another stimulus package to expand many of the relief measures passed in March. The long-running weekly is a $ 600 federal boost for unemployment benefits, which ended in late July despite heavy lobbying by unemployed, consumer advocates and Democrats.
‘Surprising’ inactivity in Washington
The “apathy” exhibited by lawmakers is “astonishing”, said America Caballero, who lost his contracting job as a human resources employee for oil and gas companies in late April.
Caballero would soon exhaust its state benefits, and most likely would cease before its epidemiological emergency payments were due for a full 13 weeks. She is concerned with the benefits extended by the state, then will move out next year before she is able to find work.
“Every time Congress tries to do something, it breaks because they can’t overcome their differences,” said Caballero, 45, who lives with her mom and sister in a suburb of Houston. “The American People Suffer.”
Meanwhile, job listings have become scarce and some have recently been posted. And many of them pay $ 35,000 to $ 45,000 per year, instead of the more typical $ 55,000 to $ 60,000 they offer before the epidemic.
“We want a job. We don’t want a handout,” said Caballero, who has a master’s degree in business administration. “We want to stabilize the economy.”
A triple whammy
Gabby Riley faces a triple whammy when it comes to a new job to replace the lost space in late March.
She did sales work for a Minneapolis hotel, which focuses on booking customers in sports and entertainment. The epidemic has increased in all those industries.
While the 39-year-old is expected to withdraw from the epidemic emergency unemployment compensation program for extended benefits next month, she does not think she will be able to find another job before those payments run out in March.
“Congress needs to provide adequate assistance to individual, small businesses and large impacted businesses until we are out of the woods. Period,” Riley, who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, lives with her son Who is virtually present in college.
“Wannabe troublemaker. Pop culture fanatic. Zombie nerd. Lifelong bacon advocate. Alcohol enthusiast. Tv junkie.”
