May 17,2021

Press Contact:

Ashley Schapitl (202) 224-4515

Wyden Statement on Texas Cutting Off Enhanced Jobless Benefits

Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement in reaction to Texas cutting off enhanced jobless benefits:

“In recent days, Republican governors in Georgia, Ohio, and Texas have pulled the rug out from another 2.2 million jobless workers, costing their states nearly $14 billion. These workers are not just losing $300 extra per week. Many are losing everything, and their incomes will be zero. Republicans are simply re-running the economic sabotage playbook of the Great Recession. A Republican president leaves the economy in tatters, and then Republican politicians stand in the way of a Democratic president’s efforts to fix it. Of course, Republicans are only cutting off economic relief to jobless workers—not businesses—showing this is all about politics and sticking it to struggling families. I continue to call on the Labor Department to explore all avenues for continuing to provide benefits for jobless workers in all states.” 

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