The topic of unemployment benefits is currently a Å“very pressing human issue” in the United States due to the Å“lingering recession” and Å“very high unemployment rate,” an American journalist says.
Å“The issue of unemployment benefits is a very big one in the United States because we have had a lingering recession,” said John Nichols, a correspondent for The Nation in Madison, Wisconsin.
Å“Even though some parts of the country are beginning to see a growth in employment, there are still many regions, particularly some of our traditional industrial regions that have very high unemployment,” Nichols told Press TV on Monday.
Å“There are a lot of people who have been unemployed for a very long time,” he added.
On Monday, Congress geared up for a fresh showdown between Democrats and Republicans over a White House-backed bill to renew unemployment benefits for over one million Americans.
Jobless benefits ended on December, 28 for 1.3 million long-term unemployed Americans. An additional1.9 million Americans could lose their benefits by mid-2014 when their 26-week state assistance ends.
Most Republicans oppose the extension unless its estimated $6 billion cost is offset by cuts elsewhere to prevent an increase in the federal debt.
President Barack Obama will have a meeting on Tuesday with a group of unemployed Americans at the White House, in a gesture the administration hopes will boost their campaign to spotlight Congressâ„¢s failure to renew long-term unemployment benefits.
According to a CNN/ORC poll released in December, nearly 70 percent of Americans feel pessimistic about the US economy and believe it is not improving.
AHT/AGB
Source: Press TV