U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11) will introduce legislation to end the federal unemployment subsidy.
This, according to a press release that Loudermilk’s staff published this month.
“So many small businesses in my area are at a breaking point. While they have seen a steady rise in business over the past few months, many are nearing or exceeding their capacity to serve their customers because of the critical shortage of workers and the escalating cost of goods and materials. The federal government’s unemployment insurance subsidy is the primary source of the problem in getting enough workers, and these business owners and their hardworking employees are demanding for it to end,” Loudermilk said in the press release.
“The dismal April jobs report is just the latest sign that the economy is moving in the wrong direction. For months, we’ve been inundated with complaints from local business owners, desperate to find workers to fill positions. I’ve heard this from many small business owners and managers, ‘How can I compete with a government that pays people more to not work, than I can afford to pay them to work? I can’t, and it’s killing my business.’ The shortage of workers is having a broader effect on the overall economy as well, creating shortages and driving up prices of goods. Lumber prices, for instance, have skyrocketed to over 200 percent of where they were last year, which is greatly concerning. Restaurants are paying record prices for supplies; and, in some cases are unable to even get products.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced last week during an interview on FOX News that state officials will reject the federal government’s $300 per week enhanced unemployment benefits.
The federal government has provided an extra $300 per week to those accepting unemployment benefits after COVID-19 lockdowns decimated the American job market. But now, as states begin to reopen, businesses are facing a labor shortage, especially in the service industry. In some cases, the enhanced unemployment benefits pay more than minimum or lower wage jobs.
Loudermilk said in his press release that “paying people to be idle when there are countless jobs available is insane, and it must change.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Barry Loudermilk” by Gage Skidmore CC 2.0.
