Governors urge Congress to act on unemployment benefits

Posted at 1:54 PM on December 15, 2011 by Tim Pugmire
Filed under: Mark Dayton

Gov. Mark Dayton was among 16 Democratic governors who sent a letter to Congressional leaders today seeking swift passage of unemployment compensation benefits. They want a one-year extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program and full funding of the Extended Benefits Program. Both are set to expire on Dec. 31.

"We are extremely concerned about the potential impact of the expiration of these programs on families and our economic recovery as a whole," the governors wrote. "Unless Congress extends these programs before adjourning for the holidays, nearly 2 million unemployed workers will lose this critical support in January 2012 alone. Now is not the time to turn our backs on hard-working Americans. Individuals who are laid off through no fault of their own rely on these funds to support their families."

The governors also stressed that extending unemployment insurance is critical to speeding up the economic recovery process.

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