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The Human Needs Report is the Coalition on Human Needs' newsletter on national policy issues affecting low-income and vulnerable populations. It is published every other week while Congress is in session.
Article from the January 30, 2004 edition of the CHN Human Needs Report: Members of Congress returned to Washington last week without having extended federal unemployment benefits for workers who have used up all of their state benefits. Advocates put increasing pressure on members of Congress, including Republican leaders in both the House and the Senate, over the holiday break, but no vote is scheduled.
Since the expiration of the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation (TEUC) program on December 21, 2003, 90,000 workers per week have lost their federal benefits, a number that is only expected to grow. Long-term unemployment remains a serious problem; more than one in five unemployed workers has been looking for work longer than six months. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities predicts the number of long-term unemployed running out of benefits in January will be higher than any other month on record (see Unmet Need Hits Record Level for Unemployed).
Last week, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) asked for unanimous consent to pass a bill (S 2006) that would simply extend the 13 weeks of federal unemployment assistance for an additional six months. Senator Don Nickles (R-OK) objected to the motion and defeated the attempt to restore benefits. In the House, Representatives John Lewis (D-GA) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) called on Republican leadership to schedule a vote on the extension, noting that 200 members have signed a discharge petition requiring a simple up or down vote on both Democratic and Republican-sponsored House bills that would extend the benefits. House Republican Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) denied their request saying, "It is clear to the majority that the best employment program is to keep growing jobs and paychecks instead of extending and expanding Federal programs."
In addition to Congressional roadblocks, the President remains silent on the issue and his State of the Union address failed to mention the more than 2 million jobs that have been lost since the start of his administration. It is clear the Administration and Republican leaders of Congress remain strictly opposed to the extension, despite the record long-term unemployment. Governors from five states (Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) have urged the Administration to consider the high rates of unemployment and recognize this need.
On Wednesday, January 28, 2004, the Coalition on Human Needs, working with the National Employment Law Project and the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, sent a letter signed by 65 organizations to every member of Congress urging for the restoration of extended unemployment benefits (read the letter). The longer Congress waits to take action, the more long-term unemployed Americans lose vital financial support.
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