GOP governors slash jobless aid to try to force more Americans to return to work

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

An unexpected slowdown in hiring nationwide has prompted some Republican governors to start slashing jobless benefits in their states, hoping that the loss of generous federal aid might force more people to try to return to work.

The new GOP cuts chiefly target the extra $300 in weekly payments that millions of Americans have received for months in addition to their usual unemployment checks. Arkansas on Friday became the latest to announce plans to cancel the extra benefits, joining Montana and South Carolina earlier in the week, in a move that signals a new effort on the part of Republicans to try to combat what they see as a national worker shortage.

Republican policymakers have long opposed these heightened unemployment payments and unanimously voted against extending them earlier this year. But party leaders nationwide have grown more emboldened in recent days, particularly as the U.S. government on Friday released new data showing the economy added only 266,000 jobs in April.

“More states are expected to follow,” predicted Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Tex.), the top Republican on the tax-focused House Ways and Means Committee in a statement Friday, adding the White House is “in denial” about the economic effects of its policies.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/05/08/republicans-unemployment-worker-shortage/

You'll work for slave wages and you'll like it. - The GOP

[DallasNE]

1. Republicans Are Out Of Touch

The labor shortage is caused by a lack of affordable daycare. That has taken a lot of women out of the workforce. Fix the daycare shortage and you fix the labor shortage. Republicans miss that with their top down view. Problems must be tackled from the bottom up.

[Hotler]

5. They're not going to fix daycare because that would be doing something

for low income people. Repugs want everything without giving anything in return. It boils down to selfishness. Ever see them in church? When the plate comes by they put in a 5 and take out 4.

[justgamma]

2. Doesn't the low

unemployment rate have something to do with not having enough workers? The ones that have dropped out of looking aren't getting unemployment, are they? So they wouldn't count in the Pukes narrative.


I realize that some would have to stay home and collect unemployment because of childcare etc. Higher wages would be an incentive for some.

[liberal_mama]

3. Several people I know cannot return to work because the schools aren't full-time due

to these anti-masking covidiots who send their kids to school sick! Our middle school just had to close down again due to a Covid outbreak.

[scarletlib]

4. This Money is from the Federal Government.

I know the State UEC sends it out to people but what gives the State the right to end these payments. It has no affect on State budgets.

[fescuerescue]

7. The states control unemployment benefits

They make the payment and then in the case of Covid extra benefits, get reimbursed from the Feds. If the state chooses to not pay the extra, then the state doesn't get reimbursed.

In normal times, the entire payment is from the state (and collected by the state from employers)

Not sure how it works in Washington DC itself. I guess the city does it there.

Yes you are correct. It has no effect on state budgets. So it's a pretty shitty thing to do.

[North Shore Chicago]

6. Dear republican governors,

If a business offers a worker his/her job back and the work is refused by employee, the employee will NOT be able to collect benefits. Not state and not federal.

So....next?

[MichMan]

9. That was always the case before, but I don't believe it is being enforced anymore

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

11. I don't know how it is in other states but in mine (Washington) one has to be actively seeking a job

in order to receive unemployment.

Republicans are trying to play "looky over there" again.

[Johonny]

8. If you make more money on unemployment than you do working, it's not the White House

in denial, it's the Party of no minimum wage that's to blame. These people are heartless and brainless.

[Thrill]

10. Democrats do your job and make sure the people know

It’s Republicans doing this. Stop voting against your own best interest