It takes a brave politician to take away welfare benefits from voters. But that’s exactly what 26 governors, almost exclusively Republicans, have done. In their states, these governors prematurely ended the federal government’s “temporary” pandemic supplement to unemployment benefits that was otherwise set to continue through September. They’ve received tremendous backlash for this move, but a new report resoundingly vindicates their decision.
Under the broken expanded system Congress created, millions of workers could earn more by staying home on welfare than by returning to work. Indeed, in dozens of states, unemployed households can receive the equivalent of $25/hour in benefits. The work disincentives here were obvious from the get-go and have fueled widespread reports from businesses facing labor shortages.
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