Urge Congress to act NOW and Extend Filing Deadline for Jobless Benefits Through 2010

[Dulcinea]

In early April, Congress passed a retroactive 2 month extension of the current federal unemployment insurance programs (Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Federal Additional Compensation ($25 per week supplement), and full federal funding of the Extended Benefits program), as well as a 2 month extension of time to qualify for the COBRA subsidy. As we knew then, the time has passed quickly and once again, Congress is faced with an impending expiration of these programs at the end of this month.

This week, likely on Wednesday, the House of Representatives will take up a bill that will, among other things, extend the Unemployment Insurance and COBRA programs through the end of December 2010. As before, there will be fierce debates about the cost of the bill and the impact on the growing deficit. While these are valid concerns in a general sense, working to reduce the deficit at the expense of the millions of unemployed workers who depend on these extended benefits is both short-sighted and counter-productive. These benefits don't just keep you and your families afloat -- they keep the economies of your communities afloat and ensure that the foreclosure crisis in the country doesn't grow any worse than it already has.

Your Representatives need to stop wasting time having the same fight month after month, and instead, finish the job now so they can spend the rest of the legislative year trying to enact legislation that will create more jobs, and deal with the crisis facing those who are exhausting or have exhausted all of their benefits.

www.unemployedworkers.org

[AllentownJake]

1. They need to start discussing a long term solution

Even under the most rosy estimates this problem of the long term unemployed will be with us till at least 2014.

This month to month nonsense is really silly when you know a problem is going to be with you till 2014 at the earliest.

I am fortunate enough to have returned to the workforce full-time out of sheer luck. I was volunteering and part-time at a non-profit and someone quit.

The personal hit being unemployed for 8 months has taken on my finances however I will not recover from to 2014 or later.

[tmyers09]

2. Agreed. They need to just say

"Ok. Unemployment benefits and COBRA is extended until unemployment drops to 8% (or so)." Would that be so fucking hard?

[AllentownJake]

3. I think an actual economic game plan

Other than this idea the markets will heal themselves and that we can keep all the things that caused the country to implode going while engaging in massive deficit spending and letting states collapse their social safety nets would be more intelligent than unemployment extensions.

However, that will piss off some lobbyist so making sure the populace doesn't starve and riot might be a minimum consideration.

[Dulcinea]

4. kick. eom