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Tell Congress:

 Don’t Push Jobless Americans off the Cliff

 

November 16, 2012

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It’s doubtful that the policy expert who coined the phrase “fiscal cliff” to describe the crisis facing the nation’s economy as Democrats and Republicans debate taxes and deficits ever was unemployed for a long stretch of time.

 


But for millions of jobless American workers, the continuation of federal unemployment benefits—now being debated in Congress—could make the difference between staying alive financially and falling off the cliff between Christmas and New Year’s.

If Congress allows benefits to expire, according to a recent report by the Economic Policy Institute, the currently unemployed wouldn’t be the only losers. Further reducing the purchasing power of the unemployed—who immediately spend their benefits on essential goods and services—could put  nearly 400,000 more Americans  out of work in 2013.

Nearly 1 million workers will run out of state unemployment benefits with no access to federal emergency unemployment compensation by the first quarter of 2013 if Congress does not act.

In all, more than 5 million workers will be unable to collect federal benefits next year if Congress doesn’t agree to extend the program. The EPI report states:

There are five million workers who have been unemployed for more than six months, which is more than four times the number of long-term unemployed in 2007, before the Great Recession began. Furthermore, 40.6 percent of unemployed workers have been unemployed for more than six months, a share more than 20 percentage points higher than the 2007 average of 17.5 percent. The labor market still faces a profound long-term unemployment crisis due to the damage inflicted by the Great Recession.

A recent Congressional Research Service study found that in 2011, unemployment insurance benefited 26 million workers and their families, keeping 2.3 million people out of poverty, including more than 600,000 children.

UnemployedWorkers.Org, a project initiated by the National Employment Law Project, is mobilizing to tell congressional leaders: “Don’t push jobless Americans off the cliff! Renew Unemployment Insurance for 2013 without delay!”  The group says:

It would be a human disaster—a cruel and avoidable one—if Congress fails to act and allows federal unemployment insurance to expire.  It is imperative for Congress to put partisanship aside and come together to reauthorize EUC for 2013.

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