Millions of people lost federal unemployment benefits on Saturday as Congress failed to meet President Donald Trump’s demand for $2,000 stimulus checks to be added to the pandemic relief bill passed by both chambers last week.
According to an estimate by The Century Foundation (TCF), 12 million people lost unemployment benefits when two programs funded through the initial pandemic relief measure pass by Congress expired on Dec. 26.
Of the total, 7.3 million lost benefits from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provided taxpayer-funded unemployment checks to gig workers and others not eligible for regular benefits, the foundation estimated.
An additional 4.6 million lost benefits upon the termination of the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which funded the benefits of people on long-term unemployment with federal taxpayer dollars, according to the estimate.
Of the estimated 4.6 million who lost PEUC benefits, 2.9 million can still apply for Extended Benefits (EB), a federal program authorized in 1970 that provides between six and 20 weeks of benefits. The benefits vary depending on individual states’ unemployment rates and laws.
By the end of the year, a total of 16 million people will have lost benefits due to the standoff over the relief package to address the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus pandemic, commonly knows as the novel coronavirus, according to the TCF.
Workers who lose their jobs are initially eligible for state unemployment benefits for up…
Read the full story: Estimate: Millions Lost Benefits as Congress Failed to Meet Trump Demand for $2,000 Stimulus Checks