7,000 unemployed Mainers risk loss of benefits
If Congress does not extend unemployment benefits before the new year, 7,000 unemployed Mainers might face a fiscal cliff of their own.
The Portland Press Herald reported that an estimated 6,400 to 7,100 would likely lose their unemployment benefits if Congress does not extend unemployment benefits and returns the eligibility period from a maximum of 73 weeks to 26 weeks.
The paper reported that the Maine Department of Labor began sending warnings in September to those at risk of losing unemployment benefits this year.
Nationally, the number of people who have been unemployed for six months or longer and could lose benefits is estimated at 2 million.
In his latest proposal to avert the fiscal cliff, President Obama included an unemployment benefits extension, but other issues have been the focus of budget talks in Washington.
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