Economy

Here's Where 12 Million Americans May Lose Jobless Benefits, State by State

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: November 23, 2020 7:27 am

The two primary CARES Act programs will come to an end just before 2020 closes. Between them, the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) provide benefits to about 12 million people.

Researchers at the Century Foundation authored a report titled “12 Million Workers Facing Jobless Benefit Cliff on December 26.”

The original CARES Act, passed in March, had total benefits of $2.2 trillion. Among the arguments for extending the benefits is that the overall economy will suffer as people who are consumers drop into poverty and demand for goods and services across the overall U.S. economy suffers.

CNBC examined the reports and reasoned: “About 12 million Americans will lose unemployment benefits in December when CARES Act provisions lapse, absent an extension, according to a new analysis. Unemployment benefits will terminate for more than half of current recipients at the end of the year, coinciding with a lapse in federal protections for renters and a resumption in student loan payments.”

Put another way, it is a perfect storm of an economic disaster for many Americans and broad parts of the American economy.

This is the Century Foundation’s analysis state by state:

Source: Report author’s analysis of Department of Labor data.