Conservatives and fiscal Republicans especially continue to warn that government reliance is not a long-term or feasible solution to economic uncertainty. In fact, certain GOP senators, such as Rand Paul, have stated that the best form of stimulus is to reopen the economy and get Americans back to work.
In certain parts of the country, however, this has yet to happen. As time passes, it continues to show just how much lockdowns are hurting people and devastating their lives and livelihoods.
Weekly unemployment claim numbers are skyrocketing beyond economists’ predictions as more shutdowns linger. Now, Washington Examiner is confirming that millions of Americans will lose unemployment aid following Christmas Day.
Why Out-of-Work Americans Will Lose Benefits After Christmas
According to labor market experts, Congress did not pass relief in time to avoid halts in benefits after Christmas Day.
Policy adviser Elizabeth Pancotti stated that Congress needed to have passed a new package prior to Thanksgiving in order to avoid post-Christmas delays in unemployment benefits. Since leaders in Washington failed to do this, millions of Americans will lose their jobless benefits after December 25.
12 million American workers will lose their unemployment on December 26.
— Tom Joad™ (@JohnnyBlkshrt) December 18, 2020
The specific programs which Americans are expected to lose following Christmas are the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Assistance program and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. These programs paid out weekly sums of $317 and $240.
When Will Americans Recieve New Unemployment Benefits?
With bad news for so many jobless Americans, there are naturally questions about when these unemployment benefits will come back. Unfortunately, there is no cut-and-dry answer to this question; it will ultimately boil down to the individual states and how much time they need to get things up and running again.
The expiration date for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA) was set under the terms of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The CARES Act is scheduled to expire the week ending December 26, 2020. No new claims can be submitted.
— TifOtter 🦆MPP (@tifotter) December 17, 2020
Bringing a swift end to economic shutdowns is one decision that would erase the need for unemployment benefits and get Americans back to work. However, this appears unlikely in communities run by Democrats. Leftist politicians continue holding firm to their shut-it-down approach to COVID-19; that maintains despite this virus having very different impacts on various individuals.
The latest news from labor experts only shows that many Americans will still be suffering financially going into 2021.
Are you surprised to learn that 12 million Americans will cease to have unemployment benefits after Christmas Day? Do you think shutdowns will be lifted any time soon? Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the labor market experts’ news in the comments section below!
