Republicans urge Evers to cut unemployment benefits
MADISON - Wisconsin Republicans asked Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Friday to stop providing the unemployed with an extra $300 a week in benefits, arguing the payments are hurting efforts to get people back to work.
“The biggest problem businesses in Wisconsin face now is finding people willing to turn down government subsidies and go back to work,” U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Oshkosh said in a statement.
Johnson sent a letter to Evers on the issue that was also signed by the five Republicans who represent the state in the U.S. House — Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau, Mike Gallagher of Green Bay, Glenn Grothman of Glenbeulah, Bryan Steil of Janesville and Tom Tiffany of Minocqua.
Congress last year started paying people an extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits because so many were thrown out of work when the coronavirus pandemic emerged. Congress later reduced the amount of the additional payments to $300 a week.
The arrangement increases the maximum weekly amount an unemployed worker in Wisconsin can receive from $370 to $670. The federal government pays for all of the cost of the additional benefits, which are set to run through Labor Day.
Republicans and business groups contend some workers are reluctant to take jobs because of how much they make in benefits and say the situation is hurting the economy. Many Democrats say the help is still needed and note people often no longer qualify for benefits if they turn down a good job offer.
Evers spokeswoman Britt Cudaback did not immediately say how the governor would respond to the letter.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan of rural Dane County said employers are having trouble finding workers, but not because of the additional benefits.
Some people face challenges getting back into the workforce because of health concerns or trouble finding child care, he said.
Some parts of the economy continue to suffer, he added.
“A bunch of members of Congress who make $174,000 a year saying the economic crisis is over doesn’t just do it,” he said.
“From restaurants and bars to the meeting industry to the travel industry, those are still decimated industries, and you’re punishing every single person who works in those areas if you do this.”
Sixteen states led by Republican governors plan to stop offering the extra benefits, and the Republicans who wrote to Evers argued Wisconsin should do the same.
“How can we expect our local economies to bounce back if people are incentivized to stay on the sidelines rather than returning to work?” Grothman said in a statement.
Among the states planning to end the benefits is Wisconsin neighbor Iowa. The others, according to the Washington Post, are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming.