St. Bernard officials welcomed Sen. Bill Cassidy who toured the business and heard their concerns about the current economic environment.
Conversation quickly turned to enhanced unemployment benefits.
Cassidy says the federal government’s supplemental unemployment incentivizes people to stay home.
But an organizer with Step Up Louisiana, an organization fighting for economic justice, rejects the argument that the increased benefits are incentivizing people to remain out of the job market, calling it a safety net since the crisis is not over.
More than 20 republican led states have ended the federal unemployment stipend.
Cassidy thinks Governor John Bel Edwards should do the same. He says people fare better when they earn a living.
But Edwards has announced no plans at this time to stop the federal stipend which is set to end September 6. He says many Louisianans rely on the tourism industry jobs and that industry has not rebounded. The state says the number of people seeking jobless benefits is declining. Without the $300 in federal dollars, Louisiana’s maximum weekly benefit is $247.
Cassidy says the economy needs to get back on its feet and that people need to work. Step Up Louisiana agrees the economy is still feeling the effects of the pandemic and says many jobs have yet to come back.
