WASHINGTON - Ways and Means Committee Democrats today released a new report highlighting the damaging effect of an expiration of the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program on military veterans and children of unemployed Americans. Without action, the federal program will expire on Dec. 28, immediately cutting off insurance for 1.3 million Americans. Hundreds of thousands more Americans who exhaust their state unemployment insurance in the coming months will have no federal program to turn to. Today’s report builds off a November report by Ways and Means Democrats that includes a state-by-state analysis showing how many Americans in each state would immediately lose coverage the week of Dec. 28. Key points include:
* More than 20,000 veterans would immediately be cut off from federal unemployment insurance the week of Dec. 28 if Congress does not reauthorize the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program.
* As many as 2 million children could be impacted by ending the federal EUC program.
* Without the federal EUC program, less than a quarter of unemployed Americans would have received unemployment benefits, the lowest UI recipiency rate for Americans looking for work in more than 50 years.
Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) and Human Resources Subcommittee Ranking Member Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) last month introduced legislation - along with Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) in the Senate - to extend the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program through 2014.
“Millions of unemployed Americans and their children would be left out in the economic cold just days after Christmas unless Congress acts to extend this vital program," said Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander Levin. “This report just adds to the urgency that confronts this Congress over the next two weeks. Congress must act."
“Withholding benefits from those actively seeking work in a poor economic climate makes as much sense as withholding aid from those hurt by a poor climate," said Human Resources Subcommittee Ranking Member Lloyd Doggett. “Cutting benefits can batter a household like a storm can tear at a house."
