1.3 million Americans to lose unemployment benefits Dec. 28
On Dec. 28, 1.3 million Americans who have been receiving unemployment benefits will no longer have assistance.
The end to the funds is due to a budget deal proposal by Congress. The deal fails to extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program, a key provider in federal funds for those who have reached their limit in state unemployment benefits.
The program ends Dec. 28, and it will take a separate move by Congress to extend it. […] Besides those in December, 850,000 people will run out of state unemployment benefits in the first quarter of 2014. If they are still out of work, they will have no access to federal benefits. About 1 million more without work will lose state benefits by June.
4.1 million people currently fall under the bracket of long-term unemployment (six months or more). They make up 36.1 percent of the total number of unemployed Americans. The Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program, or EUC started in 2008, and extends federal benefits to those still out of work when their state benefits are exhausted.
Washington has expanded and reauthorized the program 11 times, the most recent being Jan 2. as part of the overall budget deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.
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