White House to work with states on reimposing work search requirements following GOP outcry [View all]
Source: Washington Post
President Biden said on Monday that the White House will “make it clear” that Americans on unemployment must take a job if offered a “suitable” one or lose their benefits, wading into an issue that Republicans have seized on in the past week.
The White House said it is directing the Department of Labor to work with states on re-imposing work search requirements for Americans collecting unemployment benefits. The Department of Labor will also soon issue a letter to “reaffirm" the rules of unemployment to ensure workers, employers, and states understand the rules of the program, the White House said.
In remarks in the East Room, Biden reiterated that the administration disputes GOP claims that April’s disappointing jobs data, released Friday, shows that unemployment benefits are too generous and causing workers to stay home rather than rejoin the workforce. And the White House did not announce a departure from prior policy on unemployment benefits. Still, the president’s remarks suggest that the White House is sensitive to the growing political criticisms over their handling of the issue. Several GOP-run states are moving to cut the unemployment benefits on their own.
“We’re going to make it clear that anyone collecting unemployment who is offered a suitable job must take the job or lose their unemployment," Biden said in remarks in the East Room. "There are a few covid-19 related exceptions ... But otherwise that’s the law.”
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/05/10/biden-unemployment-benefits/
= new reply since forum marked as read
