STEUBE: Unemployment Insurance Should Not be a Permanent Alternative to Work
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) cosponsored H.R. 6805, legislation to ensure that those receiving unemployment benefits do not receive more than the amount of wages they were earning prior to unemployment.
“The purpose of unemployment benefits is to temporarily support Americans during difficult times, not to provide a more lucrative alternative to going back to work,” Steube said. “With unemployment numbers skyrocketing, we should be creating incentives for businesses to open and bring employees back on payroll so people can support themselves instead of relying on the government.”
When the House passed the $2 trillion CARES Act earlier this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it included an additional $600 a week in Unemployment Insurance. This created an unintended situation where many Americans are earning more in unemployment than they would if employed. Speaker Pelosi did not address this issue with her recent $3 trillion HEROES Act, but instead expanded additional access until January 2021 at the expense of the American taxpayers.
Some businesses across the country are being forced to close their doors because their wages cannot compete with the raised unemployment benefits. This legislation would cap the Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit to 100% of wages earned pre-virus and eliminate profiting off of UI checks.
You can read the full text of the bill here.
