WASHINGTON, D.C. — With emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) set to expire on December 28, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced today that he will co-sponsor a bill that would extend these benefits for more than 128,000 Ohioans and millions of Americans through 2015. While the national unemployment rate has improved following the Great Recession, Brown believes that there are still too many hurting for Congress not to aid the millions of hard working Americans that continue to look for jobs in order to support themselves and their families.
“We must do everything we can to support those who are still struggling following the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,” Brown said. “These are hardworking Americans—many with children—who have fallen on tough times. If we don’t extend emergency unemployment insurance, more than 128,000 Ohioans would lose their benefits and the ability to support their families. That is why I urge my colleagues to take immediate action that would keep millions of Americans out of poverty.”
Brown announced his co-sponsorship of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2013, which amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act to extend EUC payments to eligible Americans through January 1, 2015. The EUC program was authorized by Congress in 2008 and has supported nearly 69 million Americans, including almost 17 million children. In 2012, unemployment benefits helped lift about 2.5 million Americans out of poverty. Just in Ohio:
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