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Rubio, Marshall, Colleagues Introduce the Get Americans Back to Work Act to Repeal Increase in Unemployment Benefits

May 11, 2021 | Press Releases

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced the Get Americans Back to Work Act to repeal the increase in unemployment benefits brought on by President Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats. Earlier this year, without any Republican support, Democrats forced an additional $300 in weekly unemployment benefits, in turn allowing some Americans to receive more from unemployment than returning to work. This legislation follows the release of the Department of Labor (DOL) report showing an uptick in the unemployment rate to 6.1%, and employers only adding 266,000 jobs last month, despite widespread projections of more than one million jobs to be gained in April.
 
The Get Americans Back to Work Act would decrease the additional unemployment benefit to $150 per week on May 31, 2021, before full repeal on June 30, 2021.
 
“Businesses throughout Florida have signs on their doors saying they are understaffed due to the ‘labor crisis,’” Rubio said. “The inability to find employees is a real problem, and small employers across our country are struggling to maintain their businesses. This legislation would help Americans get back to work and help our economy recover.”
 
“Throughout my travels across Kansas I hear constantly how employers are struggling to find people for open jobs because folks are staying at home due to the rich unemployment benefits and the stimulus checks that Democrats continue to enhance,” Marshall said. “While there are certainly people that needed access to increased unemployment benefits during the heart of this pandemic, we should not be in the business of creating lucrative government dependency that makes it more beneficial to stay unemployed rather than return to work. At a time when our nation is on its way to reaching herd immunity and businesses are emerging from government imposed lockdowns, President Biden has delivered them a government imposed labor shortage.”
 
For a full list of cosponsor quotes, click here.