More than a dozen GOP-led states are ending federal unemployment benefits early

Axios
·1 min read

More than a dozen Republican-led states have announced they are terminating their involvement in federal pandemic-related unemployment programs early.

Driving the news: Many of the states' governors cited worker shortages. But some experts say it's the job climate, including pandemic-era factors, and not unemployment benefits that is determining when and how people return to work.

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  • The federal assistance programs, which include extra $300-a-week payments, are set to expire on Sept. 6.

  • The pandemic-era programs also offer unemployment to those typically ineligible, including gig workers.

The states that have announced an end to the federal COVID-related benefits include:

Our thought bubble, via Axios' Courtenay Brown: The floodgates are open. While policymakers and economists spar over whether generous jobless benefits are keeping would-be workers at home, more and more states are moving ahead to cut them off.

Go deeper: States enter the unemployment fray

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