Title: Long-term unemployment benefits expire: 6 things to know - Los Angeles Times
Headings: Long-term unemployment benefits expire: 6 things to know
Long-term unemployment benefits expire: 6 things to know
Who lost benefits?
Why the change?
Which states will be hit hardest?
Why hasn’t Congress extended unemployment insurance again?
What are the arguments for allowing benefits to expire?
What are the arguments for extending the program again?
Business
David Lauter

Content: They said that the extension was always supposed to be temporary and now that nationwide unemployment has dropped to 7%, it’s time to go back to the basic of up to 26 weeks of coverage. Advertisement
Extending benefits for an additional year would cost roughly $25 billion, they noted, which would add to the federal deficit. Some Republicans also argue that extended unemployment benefits provide a crutch that discourages people from looking for work. Advertisement
What are the arguments for extending the program again? Democrats and a few Republicans noted that even though the overall unemployment rate has dropped, the problems faced by the long-term unemployed remain grim. The share of the nation’s workforce that has been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer has dropped, but at 2.6%, it remains as bad as the peak of long-term unemployment in any previous recession since the end of World War II. Advertisement
Proponents of extended unemployment insurance scoff at the idea that the benefits deter people from looking for work. The problem, they said, is that jobs remain hard to find. Some evidence suggests that companies discriminate against people who have been out of work for a long time. As for the cost of benefits, supporters argue that by injecting money into the economy, unemployment benefits spur growth as recipients buy goods and services.