There is a crisis looming for millions of Americans receiving unemployment benefits. Fars News has reported today, Dec. 31, 2012, US Federal Unemployment Benefits Expire Due to Obama-Congress Confrontation. The National Employment Law Project, which is a worker advocacy group, has projected that "more than 2 million Americans will stop receiving benefits after Dec 29, when the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program will cease to exist."
These benefits have kept 2.3 million out of poverty last year alone, and the Congressional Budget Office has projected that a full, year-long extension would lead to the creation of 300,000 new jobs. This initiative would require recipients to search for a job while receiving payments. A study has found that unemployment recipients search harder for jobs than those who are not receiving money from the program.
CNN has also reported on the critical situation with unemployment benefits, Last checks go out for 2 million jobless. The lawmakers are down to the wire regarding the extension of federal jobless benefits, of up to 47 weeks, which Americans can receive after exhausting their six months of state payments. The present law expires on Wednesday. An extension is anticipated to be part of a package aimed at addressing the fiscal cliff. However, any such package is now bogged down in negotiations over tax changes.
MandelNews.com
