3.6 Million Americans have lost benefits, including more than 195,000 Illinoisans
Rep. Jan Schakowsky speaking during Witness Wednesday in June about the need to Renew Unemployment Insurance.
CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–October 1, 2014. A new report from Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) shows the number of people in each state who have lost access federal unemployment insurance since the expiration of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. Rep. Jan Schakowsky issued the following statement on this report:
“Families across our country are in dire straits as they look for work – yet Speaker John Boehner has refused to allow a vote on legislation to renew unemployment insurance. Through the end of September, more than 3.6 million people have been cut off of unemployment insurance, including 195,200 Illinoisans. In addition, because of the lack of unemployment insurance, the Illinois economy has lost approximately $900 million since December 28, 2013.
This summer, I joined with the Center for Effective Government, Rep. Sander Levin, dozens of other Congressional Democrats, advocates for women and seniors, as well as community, religious and labor leaders in a series of rallies that we called Witness Wednesdays – Faces of the Unemployed. For seven weeks we stood in front of the U.S. Capitol and recited stories sent in from unemployed Americans. In these stories people wrote about their severe financial problems like losing their homes, not having enough money to buy food or pay for their utilities, and living out of their cars. To listen to some of those stories click here.
Speaker Boehner has ignored all these stories. In fact, just last month, Speaker Boehner said the unemployed are sitting around saying, ‘I really don’t have to work. I don’t really want to do this.’ That couldn’t be further from the truth and it really shows that he is not in touch with the reality unemployed Americans are facing every day. The unemployed are strong Americans who are spending a lot of their time and energy looking for their next job. Speaker Boehner and Republican leadership should finally do their job and allow a vote on legislation to renew unemployment insurance because it would be good for American families and good for our economy.
I will continue to fight for the thousands of Illinoisans and millions of Americans who need unemployment insurance. I truly hope more people will join this fight and that Speaker Boehner will finally allow a vote to renew unemployment insurance for American families who need help without any further delay.”
To view the full unemployment insurance report click here.
Source: schakowsky.house.gov
