It was announced today that the United States had set a new record, but it’s not a good one.
Over 3 million people have filed for unemployment across the country, and the situation only continues to get worse as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to threaten people's lives.
In response, Florida Democrats like Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) are calling for increases to state unemployment benefits and federal unemployment insurance.
In a statement released from the Florida lawmaker, Rep. Mucarsel-Powell expressed that “today’s unprecedented number of unemployment claims are heart-wrenching.”
She explained that her office has “been inundated with constituents calling worried about making ends meet after losing their jobs because” of COVID-19.
While “there are immediate public actions that we must take to help those facing financial ruin,” Mucarsel-Powell asserted that “on the state level, that begins with increasing Florida’s abysmal $275 a week unemployment benefit, the lowest in the country, by tapping into the state’s $4 billion trust fund for unemployment benefits.”
She concluded by emphasizing that the House needs “to move quickly to pass a $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill that includes increased unemployment benefits” because “our constituents are counting on us, and we must act decisively now.”
