May 07, 2021

Marshall wants an end to $300 increase in unemployment benefits

Posted May 07, 2021 6:01 PM
Senator Marshall in Seneca for a Town Hall event on May 1.
Senator Marshall in Seneca for a Town Hall event on May 1.

Washington, D.C. â€“ U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. issued the following statement after the release of Friday's dismal Department of Labor (DOL) report showing an uptick in the unemployment rate to 6.1% and employers only adding 266,000 jobs in April.

Additionally, Senator Marshall announced his plans to introduce legislation on Monday when the Senate returns from the work recess to repeal the increase in unemployment benefits brought on by President Biden and the Democrats. Earlier this year, Democrats forced through legislation without any Republican support that provided $300 more in unemployment benefits in turn making it more profitable for many Americans to stay unemployed.

“Throughout my travels across Kansas, I hear constantly how employers are struggling to find people for open jobs because folks are staying at home due to the rich unemployment benefits and the stimulus checks that Democrats continue to enhance. While there are certainly people that needed access to increased unemployment benefits during the heart of this pandemic, we should not be in the business of creating lucrative government dependency that makes it more beneficial to stay unemployed rather than return to work,” said Senator Marshall.

“At a time when our nation is on its way to reaching herd immunity and businesses are emerging from government imposed lockdowns, President Biden has delivered them a government imposed labor shortage. For these reasons, I intend to introduce legislation when the Senate returns from recess that repeals these enhanced unemployment benefits and encourages Americans to return to work.”

Background:

Millions Are Unemployed. Why Can’t Companies Find Workers? (WSJ) â€¦Domino’s Pizza Chief Executive Richard Allison said last week that the labor market right now in the U.S. is creating the most difficult staffing environment the company has seen in a long time. “The real pinch point in the business is drivers,” he said on the company’s earnings conference call… Under relief bills passed by Congress, those receiving jobless benefits get an additional $300 a week on top of regular state benefits, which average $318 a week, according to the Labor Department. That means the average unemployment recipient earns better than the equivalent of working full time at $15 an hour. Those enhanced benefits are available until September, for a maximum of nearly 18 months—about three times longer than most states typically allow.