House Republicans urged all GOP governors to opt out of the federal programs in a letter on Friday. The jobs report was disappointing and its time to get people back to work and off federal employment assistance. The COVID-19 pandemic decimated the U. S economy. 21 states are cancelling extra employment benefits on top of the weekly benefits unemployed workers are getting. Governor Greg Abbott of Texas said in a statement on Thursday. “The amount of job openings in Texas is far greater than the number of Texans looking for employment, making these unemployment benefits no longer necessary.”
Texas’s unemployment rate fell to 6.9%, down from the pandemic peak of 12.9%. Prior to the pandemic the state had a 3.7%. rate. Texan’s will lose at least $3,000 in additional unemployment benefits. People that have relied on other federal programs will lose from $3,700 to $8,350 in benefits. 1.3 million workers will have very little or no benefits at all.
People say that they cannot find jobs, but many restaurant owners say that workers do not want to return to their previous jobs because they are making more money on unemployment. This has become a national issue. The southern states in the United states that were hit the hardest such as Mississippi where the people come from minority backgrounds or hit the hardest and the unemployment rate in three states such as Carolina Alabama and Mississippi or three times the national average of 18%.
The extra $300 in the 21 states will lose the$300 weekly extra unemployment benefits. however, workers will still be able to maintain their regular benefits.
Many independent contractors and gig workers will lose assistance from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program it will not receive any benefits.
Oklahoma, Montana, and Arizona will offer a one- time return to work payment of $2000 for $1200 from the American rescue plan that President Joe Biden put into place.
Arizona, Montana, and Oklahoma are the only states so far of the 21 to offer a one-time return-to-work payment of $2,000, $1,200, and $1,200 respectively, using money from the American Rescue Plan.
Senator Bernie Sanders has urged the Biden administration to allow jobless benefits to gig workers that would lose their stimulus aid in red states.
Senator Sanders has said, The Labor Department is mandated to provide Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) to all workers, even those in states that are moving to halt it.
The 21 states losing unemployment benefits are, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.
