Rep. Johnson hails bipartisan 1st step on unemployment insurance extension in Senate

Congressman urges immediate action to help 55,000 Georgians looking for work

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04) issued the following statement after the Senate voted to begin consideration of a bipartisan three-month extension of unemployment insurance (S. 1845) on a vote of 60 to 37:

 

“Today, the Senate took a first step toward reinstating the vital economic lifeline for more than a million Americans that was cut-off during the holidays due to House GOP obstruction – voting to begin debate on a bipartisan extension of unemployment insurance. Passage of this legislation is critical to help Americans pay the bills and feed their families as they look for a job, Rep. Johnson said.

 

“House Republican leaders must also allow a vote so Congress can extend this vital relief for people who worked hard, played by the rules, and lost their jobs through no fault of their own. This lifeline is not only key for these families to make ends meet, but also will help keep up consumer demand to strengthen local businesses.”

 

At the end of December, 1.3 million Americans lost unemployment insurance, including 55,000 Georgians, when the program expired, and that number will grow with 2,200 additional Georgians losing benefits every week in the first half of 2014.

 

“It is unconscionable that House Republicans previously blocked consideration of extending unemployment insurance that helps Americans make ends meet as they look for a job,” said Johnson. “American families deserve better as our economy continues to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and as we mark the 50th Anniversary of the War on Poverty this week.”

 

“It is time for both parties to pass the bipartisan three-month extension in the Senate so that we can return our focus to expanding economic opportunities for the middle class and creating jobs for all hardworking Americans.”

 

The federal unemployment insurance program – formally called Emergency Unemployment Compensation – took effect in 2008 and was signed by President George W. Bush and has been reauthorized several times as the economy continues to recover. Despite the real progress the economy has made since its near collapse in 2008, there are still more than 1 million fewer jobs than there were before the recession and more than 4 million Americans have been out of work for six months or longer. On average, nationwide, the program provides about $300 a week to recipients.

 

Failure to extend federal unemployment insurance also will hurt job growth locally and throughout the nation, costing the economy 240,000 jobs this year, according to the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

 

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