The Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits programs are set to expire at the end of the year. The programs provide up to 73 weeks of additional unemployment benefits. If the programs are not extended more than 2 million Americans will be cut off from benefits by February with another 6 million losing benefits by the end of 2012.
Democratic Congressman, Sander Levin, is a ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee. He’s calling for a swift extension of the programs.
Congressman Levin says people are telling him they need the benefits because of a recent job loss or not being able to find a job. "We need to provide those benefits so that they can have food on their table, so that they can keep their houses," he says.
