Jobless Aid Splits Parties, Experts - Budget Agreement Excludes Extension of Jobless Benefits, But Parties Keep Debating Program's Impact

From The Wall Street Journal:

Lawmakers left an extension of jobless benefits out of their budget agreement, fueling the debate over what happens to unemployed workers—and the economy—when the program expires.

[R]oughly 1.3 million workers will stop receiving unemployment payments, which average $300 a week, when the program expires on Dec. 28. Republicans say the extended benefits have gone on long enough—more than five years—and argue that the checks create a disincentive for people to find work.

The federal extension, first authorized during the height of the recession in 2008, currently allows workers to collect a maximum of 40 to 73 weeks of jobless benefits, with the duration varying by state. When the extension ends, most workers would be capped at 26 weeks of checks—the duration of most state benefit programs.