Congress Will Starve Poor to Make Political Statement

I do not own this photo.  I got it from St. Louis Activist Hub's blog.

The American Jobs Act contains the extension of federal unemployment insurance.  Unless Congress acts, on January 1 2012, millions of long-term unemployed workers will begin to lose their benefits.  According to National Employment Law Project, 2.2 million would lose their benefits by mid-February.  Without action, the current 99 weeks a person can receive UI benefits will be just 26 weeks (about one third of 99 weeks).  The average unemployed person would go months without any form of income after going six months on the limited income unemployment insurance provides (on average about $300/week, or about 70% of the poverty level for a family of four) .  20% or more of the child population in 40 states and D.C. lived in food insecure households in 2009.   Also, 1 in 6 Americans struggled to feed themselves and their children in 2008.  Congress will be starving the poor if they don’t extend the unemployment benefits while simultaneously passing the “Bridge to Work” program both contained in the American Jobs act of 2011

President Obama's "Bridge to Work" plan (located on page 99 of American jobs Act of 2011 sec. 324) would allow people on unemployment insurance to spend up to eight weeks as unpaid trainees at participating employers in hopes of learning new skills or getting hired. The program would be voluntary for businesses and trainees.  The Bridge to Work program is described to “increase individuals’ opportunities to move to permanent employment”. 

According to the Congressional Budget Office, every $1 spent on unemployment insurance increases GDP by as much as $1.90. And every $1 million spent on unemployment benefits creates as much as 15 cumulative years of full-time equivalent employment. No other policy options on the table come close to those effects.

The fact that Congress is willing to starve millions of Americans and their children just to make a political statement is just AWFUL!  Many are depending on their UI benefits in order to eat and it is cruel and unusual punishment to suddenly take the impoverished people in America’s benefits without giving an alternative.  Congress needs to stop playing games with people's lives, they are not toys.

Sources:

http://www.opencongress.org/articles/view/2401-Prospects-Dim-for-Unemployment-Insurance-Extension

http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-facts/child-hunger-facts.aspx