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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Pierluisi Supports One-Year Extension of Federal Unemployment Benefits in Letter to Congressional Leaders

Washington, DC—In a letter sent yesterday to congressional leaders, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi urged the full extension of unemployment benefits through 2013.

“Unemployment benefits are a proven lifeline to families that rely on them to help pay for necessities such as rent, groceries, and utilities. Expansions to the unemployment insurance program enacted in the [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] and subsequent legislation in 2009 and 2010 lifted over 3.2 million Americans out of poverty in 2010 and 2.3 million in 2011, including over 600,000 children,” the letter stated.

The Resident Commissioner joined the letter initiated by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), which urged congressional leaders, as they negotiate a legislative deal to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff,” to include a provision extending unemployment benefits for another year. If Congress fails to act by the end of the year, over two million workers will lose their unemployment benefits immediately.

The letter, signed by over 80 members of Congress, explains that the U.S. economy is showing signs of recovery, adding 171,000 jobs in October 2012. Nevertheless, over 12 million Americans, including over 175,000 individuals in Puerto Rico, remain unemployed.

“We urge you to include a robust extension of federal unemployment benefits for American workers. Given the unprecedented levels of long-term unemployment our nation currently faces, a full extension of unemployment benefits through 2013 should represent the minimum acceptable extension in any year-end compromise legislation,” said Pierluisi and his colleagues in the letter.

The Resident Commissioner noted that federal unemployment benefits have already been reduced this year. The total cap on combined state and federal unemployment benefits was cut from 99 weeks at the beginning of 2012 to its current 73 weeks.

“With millions of American workers relying on these benefits to make ends meet as our nation’s economic recovery continues to take hold, now is not the time to roll back this critical lifeline,” concluded the letter, which was addressed to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.