Millions of poor people in the United States will be left without aid after Christmas



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About 12 million unemployed Americans will stop receiving aid after Christmas, when federal government support measures against the pandemic expire in March, warns a study published Wednesday by a Democratic think tank, The Century Foundation. .

Rights to collect unemployment benefits were then extended to non-eligible Americans, such as those engaged in temporary jobs symbolized by Uber.

According to the study authors’ calculations, approximately 7.3 million people will receive this help by the end of December.

The government also decided in March to extend the duration of grant payments by 13 weeks, which will affect 4.6 million Americans by Christmas.

In the North American country, each state pays unemployment benefits and sets the amount and duration, six months in the best cases.

Since March, 40 million people, or one in four workers, have received one of two benefits, according to the study.

The Century Foundation adds that another 4.4 million people will be left without resources before the fateful date, as their unemployment rights will be terminated.

States have to pay 50% of this aid, which is complicated due to the drastic drop in their income in the midst of the pandemic, the document indicates.

An additional $ 600-a-week aid for all unemployed expired in late July, replaced in some states by a smaller sum.

If Republican and Democratic congressmen fail to agree on a new plan to support the economy, it would be the first time aid has been cut so soon during a severe recession, the study notes.

“In the four previous recessions, they were offered to workers until at least three years after the recession began,” their authors say.

These subsidies are ending in the midst of the second wave of coronavirus in the United States, which has led many cities and states to impose new restrictions.

The unemployment rate fell to 6.9% in October, but 11.1 million Americans remain unemployed and a third of them have been unemployed for more than six months.

AFP

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