More call on Cooper to end federal unemployment benefits
(The Center Square) – Republican and business leaders are calling on North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to end supplementary federal unemployment benefits.
The General Assembly approved a bill last week that would end federal unemployment benefits sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal benefits are slated to last until September.
The House approved the final version of the bill, 66-44. The Senate voted, 26-22, in favor of the measure. Republicans, however, fear Cooper, who has been a proponent of increasing unemployment benefits, will veto the measure.
“The polling is clear that on both sides of the aisle, people want to end the extra federal unemployment benefits and get our state back to work,” House Majority Leader John Bell IV, R-Johnston said. “Every day, I hear from local businesses who cannot find employees to fill open jobs. Just yesterday, one announced they are closing their doors for good due to labor shortages. I encourage the governor to sign this bipartisan legislation without delay.”
If Senate Bill 116 becomes law, North Carolina will stop $300 and $100 weekly supplemental payments for unemployed workers and join 26 other states that have opted out or intend to opt out of the federal assistance.
North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreased 8.7 percentage points in May (4.8%) compared with May 2020. The number of unemployed North Carolinians decreased by 11,691 month-over-month to 239,523 and decreased by 407,991 year-over-year. North Carolina’s unemployment rate was 3.9% in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.
Democrats in the House said the state would stand to lose $500 million in federal aid if it chooses to end the program early.
Gary Salamido, president and CEO of business advocacy organization NC Chamber, said the change would restore the workforce.
“At this decisive moment for our state, every day matters for the job creators struggling to find talent and for the parents and families looking for a feasible path back to work,” Salamido said. “Senate Bill 116 provides the critical solutions we need to reinvigorate our workforce, reduce COVID-related childcare constraints on families to empower their return to a job, and end our dependence on federal programs created for a moment when jobs were not readily available across our state.”
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