It has now been 19 days since unemployment benefits expired for millions of Americans and Congress is gearing up to leave town without extending these vital benefits again. We need to stop them in their tracks from leaving town!

     *Write your members of Congress and tell them to not leave town until they extend unemployment benefits: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/ExtendUI/

On December 28th, when Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits expired, 1.5 million people immediately lost their unemployment benefits. For every week that goes by that Congress does not extend these benefits an additional 72,000 people are cut off. This is the equivalent of one person every eight seconds losing unemployment benefits!

What does this mean for families?

MomsRising member Carolyn from Syracuse, NY writes, “I have not found another job and now at the end of the month, I will be without income to pay my car loan, car insurance, or buy food.  I won't have money to support my two children as a single mother, as I have through employment.   I want to work and not rely on unemployment however I have no other option.  Please extend the benefits.  The emotional toll facing many is devastating.”

Moreover, EUC provides struggling families, like Carolyn’s, with much needed benefits that help pay the rent, purchase food and medicine, and pay the heating bills during this horribly cold winter.

EUC is an important program that struggling families rely on to get through tough times— and it also provides an important economic stimulus to our economy.

In fact, unemployment insurance is such a powerful stimulant for the economy that the Congressional Budget Office consistently ranks unemployment insurance as one of the top most effective policies for generating economic growth in a downturned economy. The consequences of not extending unemployment benefits is damaging to our economy: each week that unemployment benefits are cut state economies lose $400 million. 

     *Don’t forget to write your members of Congress and tell them to extend unemployment insurance ASAP: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/ExtendUI/

There are still 3.9 million people who are long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more). The average duration of unemployment for all unemployed workers is 37.1 weeks—over 11 weeks longer than the maximum state benefit. Without EUC, these families are left without benefits and out in the cold.

     *Write Congress right now and tell them “Don’t leave unemployed families out in the cold. Extend unemployment benefits before you leave town for recess.” http://action.momsrising.org/sign/ExtendUI/

Thank you for standing with us on this important issue and standing up for struggling families!

By the way, MomsRising wants to bring the voices of families struggling to find a job Capitol Hill! Can you spare a few dollars to help this happen? https://action.momsrising.org/donate/UI_Story_Delivery/.