Unemployment Benefits Set To Expire For 1.3 Million Americans Saturday

More than 1 million Americans are bracing for a harrowing, post-Christmas jolt as extended federal unemployment benefits come to a sudden halt this weekend, entailing potentially significant implications for the recovering U.S. economy and setting up a tense battle when Congress reconvenes in the new year. For families dependent on cash assistance, the end of the federal government's "emergency unemployment compensation" will mean some difficult belt-tightening as enrollees lose their average monthly stipend of $1,166. Jobless rates could drop, but analysts say the economy may suffer with less money for consumers to spend on everything from clothes to cars. Having let the "emergency" program expire as part of a budget deal, it's unclear if Congress has the appetite to start it anew. An estimated 1.3 million people will be cut off when the federally funded unemployment payments end Saturday. Some 214,000 Californians will lose their payments, a figure rising to more than a half-million by June, the Labor Department said. In the last 12 months Californians received $4.5 billion in federal jobless benefits, much put back into the local economy. More than 127,000 New Yorkers also will be cut off this weekend. In New Jersey, 11th among states in population, 90,000 people will immediately lose out.

The Obama administration says those payments have kept 11.4 million people out of poverty and benefited almost 17 million children. The cost of them since 2008 has totaled $225 billion. At the depth of the recession, laid off workers could qualify for up to 99 weeks of benefits, including the initial 26 weeks provided by states. The most recent extension allowed a total of up to 73 weeks, depending on the state.

This is the real important issue where real live people will be affected by the choices of the politicians while Americans bicker over BS ABOUT SOME HILLBILLY MILLIONAIRES silly UNreality show.

Why do you keep tying the two together??

One has nothing to do with the other but I will copy/paste my reply to you in the other thread here....

People do have the ability to be outraged at 2 different things at the same time. And if you think outrage over this will change anything.... just take a look at Obamacare. How has outrage affected that decision?

Voicing your opinion to A&E and having them listen is completely different than having the government listen to ANYTHING you have to say about ANYTHING they do. If they based their decisions on public opinion we would not be in MANY of the situations we are currently in. Sad but true.

Add - What do you suggest we all do to get this decision/act reversed? If you think nobody cares about this, you are wrong. It is outrageous but who in the government will listen and why will they care when CLEARLY they do not value any dissenting opinion? We can't really vote with our wallets here. We can't flip the checker board over and leave. They know many will be pissed off, yet they have chosen to let it ride as they always do. If there is a way for us to get them to listen and act I am sure many of us would do it in a heartbeat.

reply to post by Willtell


Obama could have vetoed the bill. But he didn't.

He could have demanded that unemployment benefits be included at the cost of something else.

But he didn't.

So go ahead, be outraged. It is this current administration that has created this economic malaise. We have high unemployment, more on food stamps than ever before.

Yet, according to this administration we are in a "recovery".

Stop.
Relying.
On.
Government.

They will only lie to you.

reply to post by Willtell


BUT WAIT!!!!!

Watch the Obama administration and the Democrats "REJOICE" when the job numbers come out the following month!!!
Mark my words!!! They will be talking it up big time that the "jobless numbers" are below 7% and the economy is growing!!!

Maybe I should create my own thread in the predictions forum???

Nah!

They are just getting too predictable for those of us whom don't buy into their BS!

Maybe Obama is going to use this as a ploy.

He signed that bill last week that didn't have unemployment benefits extended.

Did he complain then ?

I forgot.

I was busy with the hillbilly issue because the Duck Company has many employees and pays into the unemployment system. I didn't want any layoffs happening from the A&E Phil Phallout.

reply to post by Willtell


The silent Eugenics is too cut off peoples source of income. how long can average person live on streets?

reply to post by beezzer

You sound like a broken record. And I have to enlighten you again.
IT'S NOT THE GOVERNMENT
IT'S OUR TAX MONEY!

reply to post by Willtell

HEY !!

you forgot to put up a link to the story !!!

reply to post by seeker1963


Yep, I think you have a good, solid prediction there. I'm sure the administration and the media will be crowing over the new, improved, lower unemployment rate. Never mind that the labor force just "lost" over a million people.

reply to post by seeker1963

I don’t see this as a partisan issue.

The elite thieves in 2007-8 destroyed the economy to make themselves filthy rich ( and not a one of them have gone to jail) so we the people can finance the unemployment insurance for a longer period until this dark era ends somewhat, that is if it ever ends.

They destroyed millions of ordinary peoples 401 ks
Left millions without jobs
Wrecked the housing industry, banking industry, insurance industry, European economies and much more,
At least these demonic pigs can vote in a little more food money for ordinary Americans they already raped.

I have an idea, why don't we make all our representatives be unemployed following the next election. Just vote independent and all incumbents out of office.

reply to post by Willtell

I don’t see this as a partisan issue.

Your right! It shouldn't be, but it SOON WILL BE!

Did you forget that the Dems are scared out of their dirty underwear in this upcoming election because of Obamacare? This will for sure be the only kind of positive (hogwash) they will be able to use to save their hides in the Senate race!

Politics is becoming sooooooooooo predicable to me! I would die on the cross tomorrow if I could only get you follower of BOTH parties to just realize it!!!

And YES!!! To save my country??? I would damn sure die to do it! I have a daughter that has to grow up in the mess that us so called intelligent, mature adults have left for her........

Let them eat cake.

Just make sure that Israel get's it's crisp 3 billion dollar check.

Why should unemployment benefits last forever? It has already been extended and extended and extended and extended. the original Unemployment Compensation (UC) statute provided for 26 weeks of benefits at a maximum of half the average weekly wage. It was computed based on YOUR earnings over the previous year (the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters, not counting the quarter in which you applied.) It was PAID FOR by a tax on earnings at the state level of 3.5%, on average, or, sometimes, by the previous EMPLOYER picking up the entire tab.

Originally, if the unemployment rate was above X% in a state, then the Feds kicked in an additional 13 weeks for a total of 39 weeks. In rare cases the Feds kicked in AGAIN for an additional 13 weeks for a total of 52 weeks, an entire year where you were always supposed to be "able, available, and looking for work" meaning that you submitted at least two applications per week and could prove it.

Also originally, UC was for people who were legitimately laid off from work. It wasn't for those who quit a job. It wasn't for those who were fired for cause. And it wasn't for those who quit, went to work for their neighbor mowing his lawn for a day, and had their neighbor lay him off. It was for legitimately laid off people who had the energy to look for work.

But that wasn't enough, so the Feds stepped in again and made it not 26 weeks, not 39, weeks, not 52 weeks, but a whopping 99 weeks of unemployment, just short of two years. And where do you think this "money" was coming from? Not employers, not states, but from the bankrupt federal treasury that doesn't have the money to give.

Now, more than one study of UC recipients has shown that when the UC benefits run out, voila! Somehow these people manage to find a job. They finally figure out that they have to switch fields, or, most likely, they finally figure out that the government gravy train is over and if they want to "make a living," that implies "working for a living."

So for these people who are crying that the dole is no longer coming in, I say you've had two years to retrain yourself into nearly anything else you wanted to do. You had access to tons of grants to retrain yourself. You had tons of options, but you decided to sit on your butt and let the money roll in.

So cry me a river and get back to work!

reply to post by Willtell
t

Many americans refuse to take a step backwards in their careers and ultimately pass up jobs they could have landed, because it's easier to collect free money while continuing to look for that "next" job that's on par with their standards...

I've never been a fan of these programs, I think too many take advantage of it. Unemployment is not a way of life but short-term help while you find that next job...

reply to post by Willtell


Amazing how the biggest welfare leaches (states like Cali, NY, and NJ) make up the pedestal of Democrats' electoral foundation. It's easy to see why this country's political process is broken. Many (not all) American voters are selfish people who do not vote for the future, but vote for the here and now. They want their checks now, and don't care who, or how it's paid. Try going into the ghetto and explaining to the average welfare participant why we must cut their stipends for the benefit of the country's future. Good luck getting out of there alive....

reply to post by Willtell


Entitlement much? Our tax money, eh? If it was our tax money, maybe we could keep it instead of giving it to DC so they can give it out as they see fit!

In every news paper that I pick up, in the classified section, there are jobs available. The oil field is begging for workers! A simple Google search will bring up thousands upon thousands of jobs.You can't tell me it takes over a year to find a job.

Pladuim

reply to post by Willtell


I don't understand how the two issues are related either. Nobody seemed to give a flying #$*@ about any of the sketchy things that have been passed in the NDAA for the last few years or more yet now it's somehow an issue because of duck dynasty? Indefinite detention... Authorization to assassinate american citizens... Yep. Those things were passed in previous iterations of the NDAA too. Lots of people protested and the government did it anyway. What makes this any different and what the hell does it have to do with Phil Robertson?

reply to post by Pladuim


I'm currently in North Dakota working hard, living the dream. It's not that hard to do.