eCall to Extend Unemployment Insurance

In just three months, over 2 million Americans will lose the unemployment insurance that keeps them afloat while they look for work unless Congress acts to extend these vital benefits.
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With nearly 7 million fewer jobs in the economy today than when the recession started in December 2007, unemployed workers are facing a job market where over four people are fighting for every job opening, and long-term unemployment is at a record high.

Our country has a federal emergency unemployment insurance system to support workers and their families during these difficult times. Unfortunately, the emergency federal unemployment insurance program is set to expire at the end of the year, and although the president has proposed extending these essential supports, Republicans haven't yet agreed to support this critical program.

In just three months, over 2 million Americans will lose the unemployment insurance that keeps them afloat while they look for work unless Congress acts to extend these vital benefits.

I am co-sponsoring legislation, Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2011, to extend the federal emergency unemployment insurance program past this year-end cut-off. I believe that Congress must act before the holidays so that unemployed workers and their families have the security that the rug is not about to be pulled out from under them, and so that our economy has the confidence that workers will be supported while they look for jobs.

I am asking for you to share your view on this important issue.

If you have a story about how unemployment insurance impacts you, your family, or community, please share it with us by clicking here and joining the eCall to extend unemployment insurance.

You can follow along on updates on the effort to extend unemployment insurance by liking our Facebook page, facebook.com/ExtendUI. We will be posting daily progress reports and highlighting key news as the deadline approaches.

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