Two Million Jobless To Lose Benefits By January Unless Congress Acts

WASHINGTON -- Two million people will prematurely lose their unemployment insurance this holiday season unless Congress reauthorizes the benefits by the end of November, according to an updated analysis by the National Employment Law Project.

Using data from the Department of Labor, NELP estimated last week that 1.2 million would be cut off from aid. On Thursday NELP updated that analysis to include 800,000 people receiving Extended Benefits in 24 states where the program "sunsets" the instant federal funding is cut off.

Those people will "experience a near-immediate termination of extended benefits if the federal program is not renewed," according to NELP.

Once Congress reconvenes on Nov. 15, it will have just two weeks to reauthorize the federally-funded benefits before people who've been out of work for longer than six months find themselves ineligible for extra "tiers" of federal benefits. (State governments handle the first six months; the feds typically cover the rest during recessions.)

The prospects are grim: While the benefits can probably get through the House, one Democrat suspects the holidays will be spoiled for unemployed people because the Senate contains "too many Republican Grinches." The Senate was the chokepoint for previous reauthorizations. Over the summer, it took nearly two months to overcome a Republican filibuster as 2.5 million people had their benefits interrupted.

"These are people who have been laid off through no fault of their own and are desperately looking for jobs, but would be snapped from the lifeline of jobless benefits just as the holiday season kicks into high gear," said NELP director Christine Owens in a statement. "Congress will have to act fast when it reconvenes to avoid a catastrophe. The clock is ticking."

Click HERE to download a PDF of NELP's report.

Comments

[TybeeBoBo]

12:01 PM on 11/03/2010

An unemployment check is no substitute for a job. I am just another over 50 professional, college educated person that can’t even get a job interview, must less a job. Everyone in my extended family is having a hard time making ends meet. They work in construction industry or restaurant industry which are suffering and there is very little work for anyone. We all have downsized our life and our kid's lives. The only thing keeping us going is my weekly unemployment check. Without this we will truly be homeless. I look at the grand kids and think “this will be the first Christmas that they will be old enough to know what Christmas is really about”, with my unemployment checks ending at the end of November 2010, I fear they will face a very meek and unfulfilled Christmas. What a great first impression of Christmas they will get. I am sure there will be food on the table and a few meager presents for the kids and grand kids, but the real gift will be learning they are now part of a very fast growing sector of our county, the poor people. They will see their friends, whose parents have money and jobs, and know that their Christmas was significantly different. What really hurts the most is that my babies will become second class citizens that Congress and the President don't care about anymore. What an awful reality and a miserable existence to give them for the Holidays.

[deminmo]

03:21 PM on 11/01/2010

Oh but there are jobs, just check your local fast food
place or retail store! LOL!

[robbrun46]

12:43 PM on 11/01/2010

whats it gonna do for the 99ers stuff your pertion

[texastrixie]

10:51 PM on 10/30/2010

These people, and anyone who has only one family wage-earner, or anyone who needs Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid had better get ready. The GOP is going to take the House, and gain in the Senate. Obama will have to compromise to do anything, and the anything he does will have little to do with helping people (not Obama's choice, the Repiggies choice).

There will be things that have to get done or the country cannot continue economically (like federal budgets). In order to just keep the country going, the Repiggies are going to extract huge concessions from President Obama such as severely restricting food stamps, ending extended unemployment, etc.

People have been asking for a smaller, crueler government, and they are about to get it. When they realize that is means them, and not some shadowy poor person, they will scream like they are being murdered; but, we are stuck with our new teabaggers for many years to come.

[Maureen O]

06:01 PM on 10/30/2010

What got us out of the “Great Depression” was World War II. There was a remarkable decrease in the population because our men & women died overseas. Also, the war created more jobs. The government is not admitting it but we are in a “Great Depression” & I truly believe that by ending all Tiers of Unemployment in the very near future is the governments way of decreasing the population so there will be more jobs to go around & correct the economy. They are truly condeming these poor people to death because they will not be able to collect Unemployment Insurance on any future Tier. America is the laughing stock of all other countries who know how to care for their poor. “Shame On You Washington For Condeming These Poor People To Death”. President Obama: Where are you on this ???? You have the power to stop this. Everyone know's you are not responsible for this & Bush is but you must be more assertive in stopping this & pushing through the helath insurance reform. Living on the street is a horrible death to endure. Stop the madness Washington !!! Simply, there are no jobs because the percentage of Unemployment Insurance has reached record high levels in most states. People cannot find work for this reason. Please allow them to live !!!

[BLGould]

11:59 AM on 10/30/2010

Sobering post. Here is my humbly submitted solution for both the income tax impasse and unemployment problem.

The Right says it's unfair to allow Bush tax cuts to expire for annual earnings above $250K, if the other 98% of Americans continue to receive the full benefit of those cuts AND even if persons/corporations earning more than $250K get the same breaks UP TO $250K, just not on earnings above that.

Their poster child is the "small business owner" who they correctly identify as the dynamo of American prosperity. Of course, they also consider Billionare S-Corporations as small business', but we'll leave that hypocrisy alone for now. Suffice it to say, we don't want to penalize the very entities - small business' - most likely to be in the vanguard of our economy's renaissance. We want to incentivize business', small AND large alike, to fully employ as many American citizens as possible.

So, give ALL taxpayers (Human and otherwise) earning above $250K a tax break for each American citizen they employ full-time, at or above the minimum wage! The break should be based on the percentage of gross income going to payroll and ONLY the percentage for American citizens; no H1B visa-holders, no foreign employees. A higher percentage means a greater tax break.

A true "small business" employing 4 Americans at 30% of gross income might actually pay LESS taxes than under the current system! It's a win for small business' AND for unemployed/underemployed Americans! Just a thought.

[MaryKayMan]

10:58 PM on 10/31/2010

"... give ALL taxpayers (Human and otherwise) earning above $250K a tax break for each American citizen they employ full-time, at or above the minimum wage..."

I agree. At least you're onto something that would directly effect employment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwaXjKGzWfg

[Lawson Meadows]

02:45 AM on 11/01/2010

BLGould,

Creative! And as MaryKayMan said it would serve to "directly effect unemployment." Yet, I fear it would not withstand the ubiquitious "need to change things" pressure that politicians use to gain favor when and where they can. But, at least for a short time those being economically tossed about might find calm waters in which to catch their breath and get their bearing.

Will it happen? Probably not... makes too much sense, and has no straight forward political benefit.

But, from my perspective, you have another fan, because it was more than "just a thought"... it was a good thought!

Sincerely,
Lawson Meadows

[LiberalOutlaw]

02:45 PM on 10/29/2010

If the republicans take control of Congress, like many are projecting they will, they will essentially try to trip up Obama any time he tries to do something to help the American people.

So basically, after the elections, millions of people will be left out in the cold...figuratively AND literally.

[260Parkway]

06:44 AM on 10/29/2010

This post alone should tell you how to vote on November 2nd. If you vote RepubliKLANs in you'll go hungry because they'll NEVER approve an Unemployment extension. So think twice before you vote on Tuesday.

[DavidFarrar]

05:57 AM on 10/29/2010

Speaking of realpolitics, present predictions are that highunemployment levels will be with us for at least the next two years, perhaps longer. That's at least 14 million voters, many long ago unceremoniously thrown off of unemployment after November 30, 2010. By 2012, that number will be astronomical, and could easily form the basis for a counter waive of liberal Democrats sweeping back into office, not to mention another four years an Obama presidency.

For the record: Republicans have never been hesitant about supporting unemployment benefits to those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. What they have been saying is they want to first identify the means by which continued unemployment benefits can be paid for without raising the deficit. If Congressional Democrats will commit to reducing government spending by at least 100 billion a year, Republicans should be able to find a good cause to fund extending unemployment benefits at least until 2012.

And if we truly had a Congress dedicated to the common good of all, it should so be able to come up a new WPA (Works Project Administration) type program (complete with drug testing) that would include a new "must work" provision for those wishing to extend their unemployment benefits beyond 99 weeks.

ex animo
davidfarrar

[no job no money no hope]

01:10 AM on 10/30/2010

um, you have the 2 years wrong bud. our bad economy suppose to last until 2020. have you have 10 years of savings saved up. and there are currently over 40 million unemployed

[MaryKayMan]

11:10 PM on 10/31/2010

yeah and the bush tax cuts weren't tied to any balanced budget bs.

Deficit spending just a red herring. The deficit issue is a power struggle and spending on the unemployed to keep them from being destitute historically helps an economy recover which in turn feeds the revenue back into the fed to reduce the burden of dept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwaXjKGzWfg

[Lawson Meadows]

12:58 AM on 10/29/2010

Wow, twelve comments in about six hours... wait a month.... it will be twelve hundred in the same amount of time. The closer we get to the precipice of disaster, the louder the screams.

I have friends who may be forced take an early retirement at the end of November because they cannot find work. All they want is to maintain their current tier of support, hoping the economy will improve and jobs will soon be available.

As for the rest, it is tough to worry about a debt loaded forward to grandchildren when you are so worried about your children now. Besides; all of the political posturing around the un-paid-for debt always referred to as a gross amount - 35 billion - which does sound soooo big, but actually would cost each American, over the 10 year payout period, about 3 cents per day, or in more pop culture terms, a couple of Happy Meals per year.

I just do not see that it was too much to ask in being supportive, not just of the individuals, but of their families and the whole of our economy... will it be again?

Lawson Meadows

[spinotter11]

10:26 AM on 10/31/2010

Exactly Twelve comments in six hours. There is little attention being paid to the long-term unemployed by anyone who is not a 99er, and they have their own sites, which also receive comparatively few page views and comments. It is just not a big deal for the American public, and that is why there is no Tier V.

[MaryKayMan]

11:12 PM on 10/31/2010

agreed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwaXjKGzWfg

[chendri887]

12:35 AM on 10/29/2010

I hate the GOP. They are bullies that keep on pounding us into the ground. And the Democrats are their enablers, looking on as we take all the abuse. Nice.

[DUSAA-1775]

10:14 PM on 10/28/2010

If your state does not have very high unemployment, this extension will not be for you anyway. If your state has high unemployment, the feds will cover you, but if your state is under (i think) 7.5%, then you are up the creek with out a paddle. Why do the Dems think the unemployed in a state of 7.5% does not need the UI, but the unemployed in a state with 7.6% unemployment need the money?

[becarefulofwhatyoubuy]

09:05 PM on 10/28/2010

I AM a worker who has exhausted their benefits as per end of May. I exhausted my fund at 73 weeks in May; fair enough.
Yes, there are job postings on the boards, but not all are legitimately looking to hire ASAP. I can say the amount of job postings are getting better in the last 2 weeks. Many are postings that are sneaky ways for HR folks collect candidate names, to cover their own butts at work, to meet their quotas.

No, I can't move to find work. I own my home, with equity. As of today, have $169 or so dollars to my name. I and my daughters have years of living pretty darn well, but frugally. I'm a DIY'er, fix it, make do without, etc.
My computers skills are top notch, (DOS to the Cloud) , I have 3 yrs experience telecommuting, my health is great, and I've worked in over 6 distinct industries.
Hmmm, what's wrong then? I'm 58, female. I'm convinced that's it.
So for those of you who think the job hunt is like it was prior to this financial greed undertaking, think again. These are unprecented times, since the 30's. And it didn't start on Bush's OR Obama's watch. We let it happen for decades, when we bowed down or didn't pay attention to large incorporated entities successfully accruing rights as if they were human citizens.

[chendri887]

12:34 AM on 10/29/2010

Thanks for sharing.

[MiddleMolly]

10:03 AM on 10/31/2010

becareful, I sat down with my friends a few days ago.. all of us in our upper 50's with backgrounds in IT... and we realized that we didn't know one person in our age group that has returned to full-time permanent employment after getting laid off. Some have worked temp jobs, some are getting consulting gigs, some have been able to take early retirement... but no permanent jobs with health care benefits.

Last week's 60 Minutes featured a segment on the long-timed unemployed, most of whom happened to be older: Things are grim indeed.

[Yikes11]

08:09 PM on 10/28/2010

Why isn't this story on the front page? Did ya notice
HUFFPOST HILL, presented by Shell in your e-mails sent by HP?

The operative word being Shell, as in Shell Oil.

Did ya notice all the advertisements on HP now?

[msanonymous222]

08:08 PM on 10/28/2010

Yoohoo. Christine, dear. Remember us? The 99ers? Do you ever think to talk about THAT OTHER GROUP OF UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE you once said that you'd go to bat for?

Yeah, didn't think so. NELP is useless.

[TMMA]

04:30 PM on 10/29/2010

NELP is looking to be on the 'winning' side of everthing they do, hence, they back off all help (and mention of) the real long-term unemployed; those who have already exhausted all benefits.

I unsubscribed from all things NELP the last time they threw over the ling-termers.