State Analysis: 1.6 Million Job Seekers Now Cut Off Unemployment Insurance

WASHINGTON – More than 1.6 million job seekers have now been cut off their unemployment insurance, according to a new analysis from Ways and Means Committee Democrats. The projection, which includes the number of people in each state who have been cut off, is based on the number losing benefits since the end of December. Nationwide, nearly 72,000 people are losing unemployment insurance, on average, every week – adding to the 1.3 million Americans who lost their benefits immediately on Dec. 28. House Republicans have blocked multiple efforts by Democrats to bring up legislation to extend the unemployment insurance benefit on the House floor. Senate Republicans last week also voted twice to block legislation to extend the benefit, including an 11-month extension that would scale back the program substantially and offset the costs. More information about the harmful state impacts of the program's expiration is available here. A new poll from Fox News shows that the vast majority of Americans believe the program should be extended, with 69 percent saying that unemployment insurance – both state and federal benefits – should last one year, far beyond what is available to job seekers now that the emergency federal program has expired.

House and Senate Democratic leaders will hold a press conference call with Betsey Stevenson of the White House Council of Economic Advisers today at 1:06 p.m. ET to symbolize the number of Americans cut off from UI benefits reaching 1.6 million and highlight the urgent need to extend unemployment insurance for millions of hard-working Americans. As part of the campaign to extend UI benefits, Democratic Members of Congress will also launch a "tweetstorm" at 1:06 p.m. ET to highlight both the importance of renewing this program and continued Republican inaction on the issue.

"The harmful impact of failing to renew emergency unemployment insurance continues to spread across the nation," said Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI). "I urge Republicans to join with Democrats to extend this vital program before even more Americans are cut off."

*North Carolina was ineligible for the federal unemployment insurance

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