Unemployed Workers Fates in Hands of Congress This Week

Unemployed workers now have more things to worry about. Faced with prospects of being jobless, unemployed workers now have to put their fate in the hands of the United States Congress. What's at stake? An unemployment benefits extension would mean the additional Tiers(Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4) would continue until near Christmas if Congress passes the bill. The bill has already been passed by the House but now is in the hands of the U.S. Congress.

What does it mean for unemployed workers? It means that some have run out of benefits as of today. It also means that no new benefits or tiers will be added unless the unemployment extension benefits package passes in the next few days. Congress was set to take up the issue once again after a 10 day holiday without coming to a conclusion.

What is the issue with the extension of unemployment benefits? Congress, just like the House, wants to figure out a way to fund the expensive unemployment benefits without significantly adding to the debt of the United States.

Apparently members of the United States Congress are getting some mixed signals from Americans. Some want to control spending and the national debt. The irony might be that many Americans will be hurt by the loss of unemployment benefits if the bill doesn't pass. Congress has a tough decision but it doesn't seem likely that not allowing the bill to pass would do much good. There are way too many unemployed workers hoping to continue to a different Tier of unemployment while they search for work.

How long will it take Congress to okay an unemployment benefits extension? There doesn't seem to be a set timetable but it could be passed within the week. Figuring out what Congress can or will do is very unpredictable at this point. It doesn't seem feasible that Congress would allow unemployed workers to run out of benefits on such a large scale. Yet, expect the unexpected as Congress dives into the issue beginning today.