Free Republic

WASHINGTON—Democrats on Capitol Hill are pushing for the White House to propose more generous and long-lasting jobless benefits on a permanent basis as part of the antipoverty package President Biden is expected to roll out next week. In a letter sent to the White House Friday, nearly 40 Democrats said President Biden should propose implementing a series of new federal standards of unemployment insurance programs, which are largely run by states. They proposed increasing the amount of jobless payments, extending the duration of the weekly benefit, expanding the pool of eligible workers, and implementing a system that would more closely...

(GREENVILLE, SC/FOX Carolina) - On June 30, South Carolina will return to its pre-pandemic unemployment program. On Thursday, Governor Henry McMaster directed the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) to end the state's participation in all federal unemployment benefit programs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Governor said the decision is in response to labor shortages. DEW Director Dan Ellzey said there are over 81,600 open job positions across the state. Ellzey said the agency believes reemployment is the best course of action for economic recovery. ------ "What was intended to be a short-term financial assistance for the...

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce called on the White House to end expanded federal unemployment benefits that were implemented during last year’s pandemic relief efforts, saying the extra monthly payments are hurting the economy by keeping workers out of the labor market. On Friday, the Department of Labor reported just 266,000 new jobs created in April, which is far lower than the 1 million jobs that were expected by some analysts. Now, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, one of the largest business lobbying groups, said that it’s “clear that paying people not to work is dampening what should be a...

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce called on the White House to end expanded federal unemployment benefits that were implemented during last year’s pandemic relief efforts, saying the extra monthly payments are hurting the economy by keeping workers out of the labor market.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said Tuesday the state will stop participating in multiple pandemic-related federal unemployment benefit programs because of a workforce shortage. “Effective June 12, 2021, the State of Iowa will end its participation in federal pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs. Iowa will continue to provide regular state unemployment insurance benefits to those eligible under the applicable state code,” she said in a press release, according to KCCI.