You are reading

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez to Introduce a Bill to Extend Federal Unemployment Insurance

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during a virtual town hall Tuesday (Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)

Sept. 15, 2021 By Allie Griffin

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will introduce a bill in the House of Representatives this week to extend federal unemployment insurance through February, she announced Tuesday.

The federal unemployment benefits expired Sept. 6 — leaving millions of Americans without income as they look for work. An estimated 800,000 New York City residents lost all their benefits.

Ocasio-Cortez’s bill includes retroactive unemployment checks to cover the period beginning Sept. 6— while going through Feb. 1, 2022.

The congresswoman said cutting off aid to the unemployed at this time is a mistake, since the economy has yet to fully recover to pre-COVID-19 levels.

“I’ve been very disappointed on both sides of the aisle that we’ve just simply allowed pandemic unemployment assistance to completely lapse when we are clearly not fully recovered from the consequences of the pandemic,” Ocasio-Cortez said at her virtual town hall Tuesday evening. “I simply just could not allow this to happen without at least trying.”

New York City’s job market has been slow to recover, according to economists. The city is 510,000 payroll jobs short of its pre-COVID-19 peak, according to a recent study by The New School’s Center for New York City Affairs.

The loss of unemployment insurance is affecting up to 10 percent of New York City residents, Ocasio-Cortez said.

The congresswoman admitted that she didn’t know how viable her bill would be in the legislature, but said she couldn’t give up without at least trying to get it passed.

“I’m not entirely sure the prospects of it and I want to be completely honest with you all on that,” Ocasio-Cortez said to constituents during her town hall. “We will work it… even if the majority of the caucus is not onboard we are going to do our best to make that effort.”

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Queens DA, elected officials highlight recent scams targeting older adults, add advice on self-protection

Two days after Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced she had brought charges against a Flushing man for scamming more than $600,000 from seniors across the country, her office hosted a presentation at the Ridgewood Older Adult Center on Mar. 12 to coach participants on how they can avoid being victims of similar schemes.

“Education is key to preventing fraudulent activity, particularly among the senior population,” Katz said. “To this end, my office has been actively engaging with senior centers across the borough, providing insights on the warning signs of common scams.”

Northeast Queens house burglar remains at large nearly a month after breaking into two homes: NYPD

Police from the 109th Precinct in Flushing are still searching for a man who broke into two homes last month in Kew Gardens Hills and Murray Hill, making off with more than $10,000 in cash and jewelry.

The burglar first struck on the evening of Monday, Feb. 26, when he entered a private residence near 138th Street and 62nd Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills, just two blocks south of the Long Island Expressway. The suspect broke into the home by breaking a rear window at around 7 p.m. Once inside, he allegedly removed jewelry valued at approximately $2,000 before running off in an unknown direction, police said.

Flushing man charged with criminally negligent homicide in collision that killed youngster in East Elmhurst: DA

A Flushing man was criminally charged in connection to a fatal collision that killed an 8-year-old boy in East Elmhurst on Wednesday afternoon.

Jose Barcia, 52, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Thursday on charges of criminally negligent homicide and other crimes for running over Bayron Palomino Arroyo and injuring his 10-year-old brother in front of their mother while they were in the crosswalk at 31st Avenue and 100th Street.

$117 million federal grant boosts QueensWay Project: A 3.5-mile greenway connecting six neighborhoods in Queens

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and members of the Queens Congressional delegation announced a $117 million federal grant for the QueensWay project’s Forest Park Pass section, which includes 9 acres stretching from Union Turnpike through Forest Park to Park Lane South.

The full QueensWay project will be a 3.5-mile, 47-acre linear park that transforms a stretch of abandoned railway into green space, as well as a transportation corridor featuring pedestrian and bike-friendly paths that connect six neighborhoods from Forest Hills to Ozone Park. The project will provide safe alternative routes to twelve schools, seven subway lines, and one commuter line (LIRR), along with local businesses.