Although Congress passed a long-awaited coronavirus relief bill on Monday night that will extend unemployment benefits to millions of laid-off Americans, some could still lose their income the day after Christmas.
Outdated state unemployment insurance systems across the U.S. are expected to slow the distribution of aid – a delay that could affect up to 12 million laid-off workers who were set to see their jobless aid lapse in just a couple of days once two federal aid programs created earlier this year expire.
“We’re too far gone,” says Elizabeth Pancotti, a policy adviser at the pro-worker Employ America, told USA Today. “We would have needed a deal before Thanksgiving for there not to be a lapse in benefits.” Read more…