(CBS Detroit) — Unemployed people across half of the country are about about to see a huge drop in weekly unemployment benefits. Since the American Rescue Plan passed in mid-March, the federal government has been adding $300 to weekly unemployment checks. In some states that’s enough to more than double the amount. But in recent weeks, 25 states have announced their intention to end those supplemental benefits in the near future.
According to the $1.9 trillion stimulus package, those extra unemployment benefits are to end on Labor Day. President Biden recently indicated that he does not plan to extend them. Further, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said recently that governors have “every right” to stop benefits early. And that’s what’s happening.
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The federal unemployment bonus has helped those Americans still awaiting the recovery to pay bills and put food on the table. But some argue that those generous benefits are keeping people from rejoining the workforce. (For reference, that $300 per week amounts to an additional $7.50 per hour for someone who might otherwise work 40 hours.)
Other considerations factor in to one’s ability to work. With many schools still remote, a lot of parents lack adequate childcare. Full vaccination rates just passed 40 percent, so the threat of COVID still leaves many uncomfortable working around strangers in public. A growing gap between skills in the labor force and the requirements of jobs available makes hiring more difficult. And then there’s the general friction that inevitably arises when an entire economy slams its foot on the gas.
Regardless of the reason, many states are trying to push people back into the job market. These states, all led by Republicans, will soon stop accepting the $300 federal unemployment benefit bonus for their citizens. Maryland is the latest state to make the announcement, with their benefits ending on July 3. Nebraska and Florida announced the discontinuation of benefits a couple weeks ago. Nebraska’s will end on June 19, and Florida’s on June 26. Texas announced theirs the week before, also with a June 26 end date. All of these follow similar announcements from Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia. A total of 25 of the 27 states led by Republican governors will cut off federal benefits in the coming weeks.
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Employment remains well below pre-pandemic levels. While the unemployment rate fell to 5.8 percent in May, about 7.6 million fewer people are employed today as compared to early 2020. And most of them were in low-wage jobs that were lost during the pandemic and have not returned. Approximately 385,000 people initially applied for unemployment insurance for the third week in May, the lowest number since the start of the pandemic. (A typical pre-pandemic week saw about 250,000 new unemployment applications.) Another 76,000 applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which supports freelance and self-employed workers. As of the week ending May 15, over 15 million workers were receiving some form of unemployment aid.
Here is a list of states and when their $300 federal unemployment benefit will end:
Alabama – June 19
Alaska – June 12
Arizona – July 10
Arkansas – June 26
California – September 6
Colorado – September 6
Connecticut – September 6
Delaware – September 6
Florida – June 26
Georgia – June 26
Hawaii – September 6
Idaho – June 19
Illinois – September 6
Indiana – June 19
Iowa – June 12
Kansas – September 6
Kentucky – September 6
Louisiana – September 6
Maine – September 6
Maryland – July 3
Massachusetts – September 6
Michigan – September 6
Minnesota – September 6
Mississippi – June 12
Missouri – June 12
Montana – June 27
Nebraska – June 19
Nevada – September 6
New Hampshire – June 19
New Jersey – September 6
New Mexico – September 6
New York – September 6
North Carolina – September 6
North Dakota – June 19
Ohio – June 26 – September 6
Oklahoma – June 26
Oregon – September 6
Pennsylvania – September 6
Rhode Island – September 6
South Carolina – June 26
South Dakota – June 26
Tennessee – July 3
Texas – June 26
Utah – June 26
Vermont – September 6
Virginia – September 6
Washington – September 6
West Virginia – June 19
Wisconsin – September 6
Wyoming – June 19
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Originally published on Monday, June 7, 2021 at 6:20 p.m. ET.
