Letter to John Boehner, Speaker of the House - Extend Unemployment Insurance

Letter

Dear Speaker Boehner:

I am writing to urge you to immediately bring before the U.S. House of Representatives legislation to extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program to help the millions of Americans who have already lost or will lose their unemployment benefits in the coming months.

EUC has been a lifeline for families across the country, helping them to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. In 2012 alone, Unemployment Insurance benefits helped 2.5 million people stay out of poverty and provided critical support to the American economy.

However, because of Congressional inaction, this important program expired just days after Christmas, leaving 1.3 million unemployed workers, including 17,600 in Nevada, without access to unemployment insurance benefits. In the first six months of 2014 an additional 21,900 Nevadans will lose these vital benefits. This is economically short-sighted and morally indefensible.

Unemployment Insurance benefits help not only the individuals and families who receive them, but they also boost our economy. According to a study commissioned by the Labor Department under President Bush, every dollar spent on unemployment benefits pumps two dollars back into the economy. The Council of Economic Advisors and the U.S. Department of Labor found that failing to extend EUC could cost 240,000 jobs in 2014, including almost 3,000 in Nevada. JP Morgan and the Congressional Budget Office estimate that GDP would be 0.2-0.4 percent lower without EUC. Failing to extend this important program will weaken economic growth just as it is beginning to show significant improvement.

At 9 percent, Nevada's unemployment rate is one of the highest in the nation. While the economy has been improving since the depths of the Great Recession, there are still thousands of Nevadans who are struggling to find jobs. If Congress does not extend EUC, this hardship will only increase for families in Nevada and around the country. Extending EUC is both a moral imperative and the economically smart choice. That is why I urge you to allow the U.S. House of Representatives to vote immediately on extending EUC to ensure that the long-term unemployed are not left out in the cold.

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