The United States House of Representatives has voted to extend federal unemployment benefits to millions of workers across the country, bringing relief to 99,206 workers in the state of New Jersey who would not otherwise receive additional aid. The amendment, offered by Congressman George Miller of California, passed in the House by a vote of 227-179.
"This extension is critical given that 8.4 million Americans are now unemployed 235,904 in New Jersey alone--and it is taking longer and longer for them to find work," said Congressman Payne. "For months Republicans have claimed that the economy was so strong, an extension of benefits was not needed. But not only is extending unemployment benefits good for those unemployed, it will also promote economic growth by pumping $1.73 into the economy for every $1 spent on benefits. With nearly three million jobs lost nationwide, this extension is overdue, and after fighting for this over the past few months, I am proud that Democrats brought victory to millions of workers."
House Democrats have fought for months to bring this issue to a vote in the House, in the face of resistance from the Republican leadership. The federal unemployment program expired at the end of the year, denying assistance to approximately 80,000-90,000 people nationwide each week since December 21 and leaving those out of work who ran out of state unemployment benefits over the holidays without any federal help.
The need for this extension is great. An estimated 375,000 unemployed individuals exhausted their regular unemployment benefits in January without qualifying for any further assistance - and are receiving neither a paycheck or unemployment benefits. Furthermore, based on the latest data, nearly two million unemployed workers are expected to be in this situation during the first six months of 2004. In the state of New Jersey, 68,800 jobs have been lost since the beginning of the Bush Administration. Nationwide nearly three million jobs have been lost and the job market remains weak-with only 1,000 jobs created in December. Long-term unemployment has tripled to the second highest level in almost 10 years and stands at 1.9 million. The percentage of Americans exhausting their regular unemployment benefits without finding a job has also reached a record level. Many workers will run out of benefits long before they find a job. In fact, two million Americans have been out of work for more than six months. Just last month, the Associated Press reported that more than 300,000 people gave up their search for jobs and dropped out of the pool of available workers because they could not find work.
The unemployment benefits bill must still be approved by the Senate and the White House before it can become law.
