Fighting for Extended Unemployment Benefits

Last week, the majority of Americans just celebrated the Thanksgiving Holiday with a feast. However, too many Americans, especially the 14 million who are unemployed, could not afford a feast this year.

That’s why Penn ACTION has been fighting for the unemployed in various ways, including an event we did in Bucks County the week before the holiday. On November 16, Penn ACTION organized over 15 Bucks County residents, including a number of people who have been unemployed during the recession, to call for the additional funding for extended unemployment insurance.

We held an 11am news conference followed by an event outside Careerlink building on New Rodgers Road at which people looking for work signed petitions calling on Congress to extend Unemployment

The same week we did a statewide call-in to Senators Casey and Specter, asking them to continued funding for extended unemployment benefits. Hundreds of Pennsylvanians joined in the call.

Why extended unemployment insurance is so important

Too many Americans—9.6% of the work force—are unemployed. If one includes people who are too discouraged to look for work or who are working part time when they want to be working full time, the rate goes up to 17%.

Extending unemployment insurance beyond the 26 weeks provided by the states is especially critical at a time when people are unemployed longer than ever. The average length of unemployment is about 34 weeks and about 42% of the unemployed have been looking for work for over 27 weeks.

If there is no additional funding for extended unemployment benefits, a million Americans will lose unemployment insurance at the end of December and another million will do so at the end of January. The suffering will be incalculable.

In the past, Democrats and Republicans have voted to extend Unemployment Insurance during recessions. Congress has never let extended unemployment benefits expire when the unemployment rate was above 7.2%, 2.4 points lower than the current rate.

 Yet, this year, Republicans in Congress—and some Democrats, as well—are unwilling to continue extend unemployment insurance benefits.

That is terrible for the unemployed. But it is bad for the rest of us as well. According to the Congressional Budget Office, every dollar spent on unemployment insurance generated $1.91 dollars of economic activity. Unemployment Insurance is thus the best way to help restore our economy to health while helping those who have suffered the most from the recession.