Gov. Bev Perdue restored unemployment benefits for thousands of North Carolina families who have been used as pawns by Republican leaders in the legislature.
For weeks, Gov. Perdue has called on legislative Republicans to pass a clean bill that restores the unemployment benefits–which are paid entirely with federal money. Instead, Republicans have used these families as leverage in an attempt to force Gov. Perdue to accept budget cuts that would inflict severe and unnecessary cuts to our schools and other essential programs.
Just this week, Republicans shot down a budget amendment that would have separated the unemployment issue from the budget. Tired of waiting for Republicans to do the right thing, Gov. Perdue, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Labor, issued Executive Order 93, which restores the benefits.
Her order came as thousands of families were running out of money and options. As we have heard from many who have called or written, families are struggling to put food on the table and pay bills.
“Enough is enough,” Gov. Perdue said. “They continue to use desperate people as leverage to extort my support for an ideologically-driven budget that needlessly cuts millions from our public schools and inflicts millions of dollars more in damage to our universities, pre-school programs, community colleges, job creation efforts and vital health care services. I will not stand for it and I will not sit by idly as the legislature continues to play these games and deny the jobless the unemployment benefits they need.”
The benefits, $11 million every week of federal funds that should be flowing into the state’s economy, would pay for things like groceries, rent and clothing and help small businesses who sell these items or collect that rent.